Hunted or Busted: A Side Story
by Master Attlon
Summary: We have stories of heroes. We have followed their lives, know what makes them tick, and what pushes them on. But the world has always been bigger than them just what happens to them. What happened long ago before they were ever born. What happened between their fights and adventures. What happened if the smallest choices changed. This is what happened before our heroes.
1. Flash Origin: Come With Me

Hunted or Busted: A Side Story

Dusted 1: Flash Origin: Come With Me

And here we are. The start of this new project and the hope that I don't screw it up. Don't expect the same long chapters like my other stories because these are gonna be short. Most of them are chapters I can write in a day or two. But I wanted to start things off properly.

This is canon to HoB, and if future chapters or storylines are canon I'll make sure to mark them in the beginning AN.

So here we go.

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

He fell back in his seat with a huff and let out a strained exhale in his moment of peace, watching his breath form in the air. His shoulders sagged as the smell of burnt wood and smoke continued to fill his nose. Along with some other odors and stenches he really wish weren't in the air. But it was his duty to be here while waiting for the survivors to be carried to safety. It would be a lot easier if they could spare some more crafts to get them out of the danger zone faster.

And they could finish faster. So he and the other Hunters wouldn't have to stick around and file through the wreckage to find more corpses.

When he finally became a Huntsman, he thought he would get the chance to stop attacks like this from occurring and save people before it was too late. But lately he was beginning to suspect that their job was always to arrive just a little too late to make a difference. More like a cleanup crew than a preventive measure.

They were able to save a lot of lives and do a lot of good by the time they got here. That's what the commander had told them to make them all feel better.

The truth? They didn't make it in time to do any real good. Half a day late at the least. And the lives saved...not enough.

His hand shot up on reflex and caught the bottle aimed for his head. He looked up at the pale man with his face covered in soot and grime. Even despite the drab and dreary atmosphere and the surroundings they found themselves in, the skinny man gave his friend a smile. A weak smile but one of assurance nonetheless, "You look like you could use a drink."

"Not water." The white-haired man countered, twisting the top off the beverage, "I'd probably prefer something a lot stiffer. Something that could knock me on my ass and leave me in the gutter for awhile."

"Well none of that right now. Sorry." The pale man came to sit by his side so he wouldn't be lonely in his despair. He was the only one that could muster a smile in their condition as he patted his partner's back, "When we get back we can drink if you want. It'll be my treat."

"That'll be nice. Definitely get this taste out of my mouth." He downed most of the water in one go before taking it away. He took a deep breath and looked around, "Atlas is so close. I'm pretty sure if we threw a rock hard enough we'd reach the capital. So how the hell could they let something like this happen?"

"It's not just Atlas. This is Mantle. Not everyone here would be so accepting of their help." He got a questioning look and shrugged, "Some people are still sore about Atlas taking everything. People in power in particular."

"Well I hope their pettiness was worth it." He looked out over the shattered remains and homes of the town that had fallen to the Grimm attack, "This gets to be their reward."

"Don't say it like that."

"Well how the fuck else am I supposed to say it?" He answered back in spite before jumping from his seat and motioning to their ruined surroundings, "Look at this shit, Orochimaru! Look at it! All of this happened because some people were pissy and angry at others and couldn't ask for help! And then those people decided to keep what they could to themselves even when these people needed it! I know the old man used to tell us to break a cycle of hatred but it isn't just for Faunus! All these people need some serious attitude adjustment! Because even after this..." He seethed, "I know it isn't going to change shit."

"Jiraiya." The toad Faunus felt a hand on his shoulder and looked back at his snake friend, "This is a tragedy. And you're reeling back from having to deal with it. You need to calm down."

The white-haired man took a deep breath before letting it out in a shake, "How does stuff like this happen? It's not just grudges and people hating each other. How do Grimm still get in here after all this time?"

"It was a gang first." Orochimaru clarified, "They came here expecting things to be easy but were met with a fight. Some of the people here knew how to defend themselves. And by the time they realized the fight was useless it was just too late. They had defenses...but the Grimm found a way. They always find a way."

Jiraiya could only mash his teeth together in rage as he hung his head. Orochimaru's eyes lowered sadly before looking aside at a medical tent. He patted his friend's back, "I'm going to go check on Tsunade. Make sure she isn't getting overwhelmed helping all these people. Maybe you should take a breather."

Jiraiya didn't answer his friend. Orochimaru nodded his head before walking off to check on their teammate. The white-haired man sighed before looking out across the town once more. People rummaging through what remained of their homes. Families weeping for what they lost.

And one boy slowly traversing the town by himself.

Jiraiya watched the young boy drag his feet around what remained of his home. No other families or adults were attempting to reach out to him as he walked so he might have been by himself. And considering the tragedy that just happened...Jiraiya could only think of one reason he was alone now.

The boy was only wearing a jacket to protect himself from the cold weather, but even those clothes had tears and holes in them. The massive mop of gold hair on his head probably did something to help warm him up but it couldn't have been by much. The toad watched the boy walk up to a home that had collapsed on itself during the raid and start digging through it.

The white-haired Huntsman let out a long sigh before making his way over to meet the child. He watched the blond boy rifle through what was left of the home before he approached. The boy didn't seem to notice him before Jiraiya spoke, "Hey."

The blond looked back at him for a moment and saw the child glare at him with nearly empty eyes. He turned away from the Huntsman and continued to dig through the debris. Jiraiya could see the boy's hands start to go black with dirt and soot, "If you need help looking through all that I can-"

The boy stopped digging as his hand reached in and pulled out a three-pronged knife. The boy turned it in his hand in order to inspect it as Jiraiya walked closer, "Is that what you're looking for?"

"It was my dad's." The blond child finally answered in a quiet voice before holding the weapon close to his chest, "He's the reason this whole place isn't one big graveyard. And this is all that's left."

The boy simply turned around and walked past Jiraiya before the older man could say anything. The toad watched the orphaned boy make his way through the town again before he vanished from sight.

Jiraiya watched the unfortunate boy walk away to live whatever the rest of his life entitled. He'd probably get picked up by the rest of the Atlas forces and become a refugee with the other survivors. If he was lucky he'd be put up for adoption or entered into a foster system. And he'd live the rest of his life with strangers while always remembering this terrible event that would define his life forever.

That was life. That was their life. He remembered growing up without parents or a family or home. He only was saved from that life because Sarutobi took pity on him. This boy would have to suffer the same fate.

Or...

The toad groaned, "Oh that's a terrible idea."

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

"That's not just a terrible idea! That's the worst idea I've ever heard!" The blond medic reprimanded her teammate as he stared at her blankly, "I mean is your brain even working!"

"Of course it is. How do you think I came up with this idea?" Jiraiya knocked on his scalp for emphasis.

"Slam your head into a wall until something resembling a thought occurred?!"

"Look, you're a medic. You have some pull with these people. You could be able to convince them, or at least make it a little easier." Jiraiya shrugged, "I'll sign some papers or whatever else I need to do if I have to."

"It's not just the technical side of this you dumbass." Tsunade rubbed the bridge of her nose, "I'm not going along with this because you're one of the most immature, underdeveloped, lackadaisical, and irreverent people I've ever met! Plus you'd be a terrible influence to younger people!"

"Hey you don't know that! That'll only be proven true once you agree to this."

"I'M NOT-"

"Tsunade. Tsunade. Take a breath." The slug Faunus was advised by her friend to calm herself before she got lost in her rage. The medic took a deep breath and closed her mouth before she could start yelling again. Orochimaru turned to Jiraiya and spoke evenly, "This is a huge decision. One you can't make lightly. You've never had experience in something like this before. It's uncharted territory for you." The toad seemed pensive as the pale-skinned Huntsman faced him, "I know you're feeling guilty about not getting here in time and stopping this from happening, but this is going too far. You're trying to course correct and do something good, but helping these people evacuate and trying to build new lives for them are two very different things. You can't just take in an orphan-"

"Yeah. I know. I know all of this. It's a stupid idea and I shouldn't have even brought it up."

...

Orochimaru rolled his eyes and Tsunade sighed, "But?"

"But I'm doing it anyway."

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

The blond boy watched people start filling up the Airships and Bullheads that had finally come to their aid. Off to take them to refugee camps or halfway homes. Anywhere they could afford to keep them.

He clutched the three-pronged blade tightly to his chest. If they tried to take this away from him they would be met with a serious fight. He'd bite them if he had to.

While he thought about that, he spotted the white-haired man from yesterday making his way over. He didn't face or talk to him but felt the older man take the spot beside him to sit down.

"Do you know where you'll be going?"

"..."

"Neither do I. You might find a good home. Or you might get passed from one home to another. I'm not even sure you'll get anything remotely like that." He sure wasn't good on giving uplifting speeches, "I remember being about your age and no one wanted me. They'd pass me on and on in the hopes someone would finally crack and learn to live with me. I think I was more used to living in the streets than I was in an actual home. And the life you might lead going through that same process...it's hell." The boy said nothing but clutched his knife a little tighter, "So you can take a chance with that...or take a different chance instead."

He looked up at the man, "Terrible things like this...they happen all the time. As much as we hate it, that's an undeniable fact. People have to suffer these injustices every day. This horrible thing that's happened to you...that terrible feeling inside of you...so many people live through it. We all have to suffer through it. But do you want to keep feeling this way?"

The toad stood up and faced the young blond before offering his hand, "Come with me. Follow in your father's footsteps. Fight for a good cause. Fight so that someday we can stop awful things like this from ever happening anymore. Come with me...and I'll help you fight."

...

Jiraiya smiled as the boy's eyes softened and he released one hand from clutching the knife to his chest. He reached out and took his hand as the Huntsman smiled, "I'm Jiraiya."

"Minato."

"It's nice to meet you, Minato."

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

 _ **Done**_

 _ **So like I said in the main story, these chapters will be short and focus on things outside of the main narrative. Things I never got to put in. Stories I always wanted to tell but never had a chance to add. They might get more ambitious as this goes on, but for now they're short and easy things to write and follow.**_

 _ **The chapters that are updated might follow a different storyline than the prior one, depending on what I've written up and how quickly I put them out. You can tell which story is being picked up by its title. For example this one is called Flash Origins and will follow Minato's start in his new life. After that there might be a new story, or I might just update with some silly between chapter for fun. I already have an idea for some anthologies, a story called Weight of a Soul, and a chapter where the students just play a game.**_

 _ **If there are any fun ideas or concepts you want to see, just leave a review or PM me what you're thinking. I really hope this works out and is as fun for you as it is for me.**_

 _ **ReadxReview**_

 _ **Thank You and Bye**_


	2. Flash Origin: Faded Grief

Hunted or Busted: A Side Story

Dusted 2: Faded Grief

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

"So how's he doing?"

Jiraiya let out a haggard sigh and shook his head while looking down into the foam of his drink, "You know, half the time you ask that question I feel like you're doing it just to rub it in my face."

"But mostly I'm asking out of genuine interest, you idiot." Tsunade retorted, slapping her friend across the shoulder with a frown, "You're taking care of a child, remember? A child going through a terrible loss and trauma." Jiraiya grumbled and scratched his head as the blonde sternly told him off, "You told me when you decided this that you were going to take care of him!"

"I am! What the hell do you think I've been doing for months?!" Jiraiya yelled back. Tsunade growled and slapped him in the chest. A few people looked over in surprise after the toad was absolutely floored by the woman's insane strength. He laid on the ground and groaned, "I've been trying as best I can. But it's not just hard..."

"I know. I know." Tsunade muttered before sighing and shaking her head. She offered her hand and Jiraiya was quick to take it as she pulled him up to his feet. He dusted himself off before she asked, "Has he been going through the stages like I told you?"

"I think so." The frog rubbed his shoulders before looking at the slug, "I think I've been keeping track. When we finally left and reached my home he just started getting pissed and angry at everything. You remember how much of a little shit he was when I first took him in?" Tsunade nodded, "That stuck for a while. After that I started finding plans for boat rides and Bullhead trips to Atlas. I even found him trying to sneak out a few times with a bag full of whatever he could get his hands on. He was trying to get back to Mantle. Not sure if that counts as bargaining but you're more of an expert on that shit than I am."

"And now?"

"Now?" Jiraiya lowered his head and took a deep breath, "Now he's just sad. He barely has enough energy to eat. Tsunade I don't know if you've ever seen a 12-year old without the willpower to live but it's just unnatural. I remember being that age and we'd run around the forests, daring each other to see how far we could go out into the deserts before we came back. I've never-"

"Yes you have." Tsunade interrupted before looking down dejectedly, "Orochimaru lost his parents at an age like that too, remember?"

"Oh. Right."

"He had to grow up a lot faster after his parents died." Tsunade stopped and looked at her old friend before shaking her head, "It's terrible that a child has to experience something like this, but it's still happening. I understand how hard it must be...but he needs you." She rested a hand on his arm and met his eyes, "Not just for food. Not just for a home. But he feels alone in the world. The only people he ever had in life are gone...and he must feel absolutely crushed by that solitude. If you want to help, you need to be there for him."

"But how?"

"Sometimes...just letting him know you're there can be a big step."

 **((((((((Dusted))))))))**

Minato laid across his bed in complete darkness and stared into the wall by his new bed. He had skipped another day of attending that new school Jiraiya had enrolled him into in favor of staying in bed. He didn't even do anything. Not when Jiraiya tried to call him and tell him food was ready. Not before the frog left for the day and he remained sulking in his room.

It was sad. His father would be so disappointed in him if he could see him now. But he couldn't. He was gone forever. The last he saw of the man was him screaming at Minato to run; hide with the other people in the bunker and be safe while he faced off against the hordes of Grimm. Hours passed. The sounds of ghastly roars and untold destruction happening over their heads with no response or answer. His eyes remained glued to the door and his hands so tightly clenched his knuckles could have popped open.

But then finally there was a response. Soldiers and Hunters coming to their bunker and telling them it was over. The Grimm were pushed back. The bandits were gone.

The village was gone. Razed to the ground and left mostly in ash along with the rest of their world.

But his father was nowhere to be found.

Minato came back onto the surface, witnessing the terror and destruction that wrought his once thriving home and didn't care.

Because his father was nowhere to be found.

He pushed people out of the way. He slipped in between mourning parents and grieving families. He avoided Huntsmen and Huntresses calling for him to stop as he just kept searching. Searching for anything leading him to his father.

Until he found him...under a bloody sheet...along with dozens of rows of other people laid across the ground.

After that Minato just blanked. Everything that happened over the next few days were just one long session of fury and blurs. He only remembers finding his father's knife and taking up Jiraiya's offer. The offer to be able to do something more.

He wanted to. To do more. To get back at everyone that made it happen.

This was Atlas' fault for not coming to help them when they needed it. No, it was Mantle's fault for refusing their help altogether. It was the bandit's fault for trying to steal from them. It was the Grimm's fault for thinking them as just food. It was Jiraiya's and the Hunters fault for not getting there in time.

That was his thinking for so long before he just gave up.

What was he supposed to do?

Hold a grudge for a whole Kingdom? Hate a town that was burned to the ground? Hunt bandits that were already dead? Destroy the Grimm that didn't even exist anymore? Or despise the man that came to his aid and offered him a home when he had nowhere else to go?

That's when it happened. That he just gave up. When he realized that his entire life was gone and there was nothing he could do, he decided to do nothing. He thought it would just be better if he stopped trying.

But it hurt. It hurt worse than any injury.

Everything he thought about...every action he considered taking...made him feel worse and hurt more.

Was this what his life would be like now? Alone? Empty? Because it didn't feel like life. It didn't feel like it did before. It just felt...

Wrong.

His stomach growled and he coughed into his pillow. He winced once he realized just how dry and parched his throat was. He hadn't drunken anything all day.

He felt a need to get up and get something. He pulled himself off the bed and walked out of his room, one hand still firmly gripped around his knife. He came out into the main room and expected to find a dark and empty place.

Instead he found a dark room with his new caretaker watching the TV. Jiraiya must have heard him coming because the white-haired man turned to look at him with his eyes illuminated by the light of the television. The two of them stared at each other for a moment before Jiraiya looked back at the screen.

"I wasn't lying when I said terrible things like this happen all the time. But I guess I didn't specify just how often." Minato looked to the screen and saw a report about another attack somewhere on the coast of Vale. The frog pressed mute and ran a hand through his hair before chuckling, "I came from Menagerie, you know. You know about Menagerie?" He looked back for confirmation and Minato gave a small nod, "It's really beautiful. Filled with forest and greenery and more people than you've probably ever seen. But it's - hehe - it's crowded."

He rubbed his head, "When I was growing up I didn't really have a family. I was sorta just left behind because they couldn't deal with raising a kid. I always felt angry as a kid. Different. Like there was no point for me to be around anymore. So this guy - a monkey Faunus - took me and kept me under his wing. Did that for a lot of kids without homes actually. Tried to teach me right from wrong with mixed results. Even made me realize I could do some good by joining the White Fang and then later apply to be a Huntsman."

Jiraiya's smile faltered before he looked back and motioned for Minato to come join him. The blond boy was hesitant before making his way over and sitting beside the older man. He sat back in the couch as Jiraiya stared forward, "I can't remember when it happened. When I stopped feeling so angry and empty and started feeling fulfilled and happy. I had spent so much of my life like that but to be honest I don't even remember it anymore. Somewhere along the way I found...purpose."

Minato looked up at the Faunus before he turned to him, "I haven't been able to properly help you. I thought just being able to take you in would be enough of a first step but I was wrong. You've been going through by yourself and I'm sorry for that. Sorry I haven't been able to help you like I said I would. Taking care of another person is harder than I ever could have imagined but that's not an excuse."

Minato felt his hand land on his head and looked up as Jiraiya spoke, "I need to be here for you. I want to be here for you. I want to prove to you that there's something more past all this misery and sadness. That this suffering does not have to define you forever. The truth is I can't promise you it will get any easier. Losing people and watching others get lost never does. But you can get stronger and given time I know you can move past this. Because it might not seem like it right now Minato, but there's always something to give you a reason to keep moving on. Whether it's your curiosity...your will...the people around you...yourself...or the people you lost. There's always a reason to keep going."

...

Jiraiya heard a stifled sniffle and looked down at his young ward. The blond boy's eyes were filled with tears leaving streaks down his cheeks. He hiccuped and struggled to level his breathing but failed. Minato clutched his knife as tightly as he could as he doubled over and sobbed, "I miss him. I miss my dad so much! I miss my home! I-I don't know what to do! It hurts!"

"I know."

"I want it to stop! I just want it to stop! W-Why can't it stop?! Why can't it just go away?!"

"Because what you lost was a part of you. And if you wished it away like that...you'd lose it forever."

Jiraiya's hand lowered to the boy's back to help comfort him as the boy cried out. He cried in anger. He cried in pain. He cried for the first time since he lost his father months ago.

It was the first time Minato fell asleep without feeling so angry.

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

Minato's eyes opened again when he saw the morning sun shine in across the main room. He had passed out on the couch after speaking to Jiraiya and crying for so long. He sat up, rubbing his eyes and noticing his knife was nowhere in sight. He looked back and saw it lying on the top of the table.

Jiraiya was doing his best to cook up a breakfast with very mixed results. There was burnt toast, poorly peeled fruits, spilled milk and cereal. Just a general mess of foods and drinks. The toad coughed and swiped away at the smoke rising from his failed attempt at an omelette. He gasped for air before noticing his charge, "H-Hey kiddo! I-I tried making breakfast! Check it out if you want!"

Minato looked around at all the terribly singed and inedible food. He looked back up as Jiraiya shrugged, "Like I said taking care of someone else is harder than I thought. But I'll keep trying better. Maybe invest more in prepared food instead of cookable stuff. I'll do my best on that..." He grinned, "And I'll do my best to help you too."

Minato remained silent and looked over the table. He grabbed his knife and before Jiraiya thought he would walk off again he pulled out a chair and sat at the table. He grabbed the most unburnt piece of toast and took a bite. Jiraiya chuckled when he was the boy grimace and gag before whispering, "I...I might want to go to school."

"Do it tomorrow." The toad said with a smile as he came over with his ruined omelette and started forcing it down, "For now let's just try to shovel this crap down together."

Minato have a small nod before he proceeded to eat possibly the worst breakfast he had ever had in his entire life.

And Minato slowly started to notice that the empty feeling inside of him wasn't as suffocating as it was last night.

 **((((((((Dusted))))))))**

 _ **Done**_

 _ **How have I never gotten around to doing more Jiraiya. I forgot just how lovable that sick, perverted SOB can be sometimes. He's funny, but at the same time he can be so damn caring and fatherly. Hope I've been able to get that through. This is a younger Jiraiya than the one Naruto ever met so all that certainty and sagely advice hasn't been solidified just yet.**_

 _ **Another fun reason to write these characters I've rarely had the chance to explore. Just wait until I get around to the Madara story. That's going to be something else.**_

 _ **ReadxReview**_

 _ **Thank You and Bye**_


	3. Flash Origin: Taking Steps

Hunted or Busted: A Side Story

Dusted 3: Flash Origin: Taking Steps

Happy holidays to all!

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

Minato's feet pushed harder than they ever had before as he desperately attempted to overwhelm the toad Faunus in front of him. He charged across the grass towards the Faunus smirking and bouncing on his feet. The blond yelled and leapt up, spinning with his leg out with a kick aimed for Jiraiya's temple.

The toad ducked under it and stepped to the side as Minato stumbled when he landed on the ground. He turned and ran at the older man with his knife chambered at his side. He stepped in and swiped for Jiraiya's chest but his guardian merely held out his hand and stopped Minato from making the full swing.

The young blond yelled as he was yanked forward and had his feet knocked out from under him. Jiraiya pulled him around, throwing him into the ground and making him bounce off the dirt. Minato grunted before he came to a stop and coughed into the dirt. The fourteen-year old grumbled under his breath as he pushed himself up.

"You wanna call it quits for the day? Because I'll be honest watching you come running straight at me over and over is enough to make me cry for a few hours."

Minato clenched his teeth and snarled at the older man. He heaved himself up and charged at the toad again. Jiraiya rolled his eyes and raised his arm in preparation to stop the knife chambered at the boy's side.

Minato threw the blade and Jiraiya's eyes widened before her jerked his head aside while the blade flew past him.

His arms raised to block the spinning kick the blond fighter tried to land across his face. Minato pulled his foot back and kicked up dirt as he ran in to attack the Faunus. Their difference in height was very noticeable when they faced each other in combat, Jiraiya towering over the growing lad and having to reach down to block Minato's swings. But the boy was undeterred by the gap, pressing on and trying to attack Jiraiya's chest and guts before they were blocked by his iron-like hands.

The blond took a different route and dropped on the ground, swing his foot out for the toad's feet in order to sweep his legs. Jiraiya easily raised his legs and avoided the sneak attack, even when Minato continued to move over the ground to try and sweep the out. The toad took a few steps back, raising his legs each time, before lunging forward to stomp on the boy. Minato rolled back, braced himself in the dirt, before kicking up to strike Jiraiya's crotch.

Aura was extremely powerful and resilient. It could take the force of a lethal attack and save the person from a life-threatening injury. If someone's arm was hit with an immense speed and force, Aura could be the difference between a broken and swollen arm or a bleeding, messy stump. There would always be some lingering pressure from an attack taken by Aura, but it would be paltry in comparison to an attack taken without one.

But even so, some people act on reflex.

"NOT THE BOYS!" Jiraiya yelped as he cupped his crotch and jumped back before Minato could hit it.

The blond boy smirked with his opening finally revealing itself. He leapt off the dirt, slid under Jiraiya's legs while he was protecting himself, and ended up behind the Faunus. He reached out and grabbed his knife off the ground before leaping up and swinging for Jiraiya's neck. The Faunus looked back in time to see the blade flash towards him, and Minato grinned as he knew he won.

An open palm appeared directly in front of his face and he felt a powerful shockwave knock him through the air and away from his target.

Jiraiya flinched as he watched his ward flying through the air and tumble into the ground before reaching the trees. The toad chuckled shamefully, "M-My bad! Reflex!" The Faunus laughed nervously before running over to check on him. He saw the teenager struggle on the ground as he kneeled down, "Uh, you okay?"

"I-I think I'm gonna be sick."

"You're not sick, you're just a little nauseous. I'm pretty sure I rattled your eardrums with that hit." Jiraiya helped the teen sit upright and let him rest against a tree to catch his breath. The toad sat down beside him and waited for him to recover, "If anything you should consider that a compliment. That last attack was good enough that I had to use my Semblance."

"If I throw up, it's on you."

"Look I know it's my bad you don't have to keep reminding me."

"That's not what I meant."

"Don't you dare." Jiraiya sighed, running a hand through his hair as Minato finally started to collect himself again. The toad added, "By the way this was training and you have Aura, so don't go crying to any services about me hitting you-"

"Why do you have to bring that up each time?" Minato said as he took a deep breath and groaned into his hands, "What the hell? How much longer is it gonna take?"

"It's different for everyone. Took me a while before I finally discovered mine."

"Yeah but over a year? I don't think it takes most people this long to discover their Semblance. Most of the other kids in my class already have theirs mastered."

"If anyone in your class said they've mastered their Semblance already then they're full of shit and you should tell them that." They sat in silence, Minato raising an eyebrow before Jiraiya shrugged, "Okay don't actually say that but you should know they're blowing hot air. To master something means to have complete control of it and how it can be applied in any scenario, and a real master would know there's always something more to do with your abilities."

"Man, I hope when I finally get mine it's something super powerful and awesome." Minato grinned as he looked up wistfully, "Could you imagine if I could shoot energy beams out of my hands? O-Or if I could control the weather - bringing down thunderstorms and tornados with a wave of my hand! Oh it's gonna be so cool!"

"Yeah, don't expect anything like that when you finally get yours." He laughed at the young man's wild wishes, "Semblances are supposed to be a reflection of yourself. Do you really think yours will let you do crazy stuff like that?"

"Um...if I really think I'll make lasers or control weather, would that work?" Minato floundered under Jiraiya's dry glare before he shrugged, "Okay it probably won't be anything big like that, but I at least hope it's powerful like yours."

"Making shockwaves wasn't the easiest thing to learn to control." The toad casually held out his hand and released a small shockwave from his palm. It released like a pop in the air around his palm, causing a quick flutter of wind and shaking some of the leaves above him when it did, "I can't tell you how many times I knocked people away or blew myself off my own feet trying to get this thing under control. It was ridiculous."

"But you figured it out in the end. And now you can shatter boulders with a punch and pop Grimm. Literally pop them! You make a show of it every time you bring me out in the wild!"

Jiraiya cackled and scratched his head, "Hahaha, I'm nothing if not an entertainer!" The white-haired Faunus shook his head and finished his chuckle with a sigh, "But it takes a lot of work to finally get your Semblance to work to a fine degree like that. Some people are blessed with brilliant talent, and some have to do it by trail-and-error. Lots of it. Too much. Too much collateral damage and expenses to be paid because of some honest accidents."

"Well I can guess which one you had to go through." Minato watched quietly as Jiraiya started to mumble lowly to himself, lamenting his past mistakes and reliving the trauma of all the reimbursements he must have paid. The blond teen looked down at his knife and gently gripped it in his hand.

His father and Jiraiya looked so powerful and unmatched when they were fighting. Even Jiraiya's friends, Tsunade and Orochimaru, looked unbeatable when they moved and attacked. But they didn't just become like that overnight. They didn't pick up their weapons or step into a battlefield and know what they were capable of doing.

It was going to take time until he reached that level. Lots and lots of time and practice. Which was a bit of a bummer, but at least he had a clear visual of what he was aiming to reach when he could become that powerful.

And there was no point in wasting any more time.

"Hey," Minato spoke and finally got Jiraiya to stop mumbling to himself. He spun the blade around in his palm before pointing back to their training field, "Are you gonna call it quits now? Because I'm ready to get back to it if you're are."

"Cheeky shit." Jiraiya smirked. He lifted himself up and stretched his arms, walking over to his spot so he was across from his sparring partner, "You might not have a Semblance yet but you could make up for it with fighting ability. That last part when you lost your temper and started attacking without a pattern was pretty good. You might wanna try that."

He remembered actually being able to attack Jiraiya and make him step back, and he remembered what it felt like when he did. That feeling of helplessness and being so weak he couldn't do anything. The idea that he'd have to feel like that again in a clutch made him sick and filled with anger. He would never feel helpless again. If he could have his way no one would ever have to feel that way again.

Minato gripped his knife and charged, Jiraiya smirking as he prepared to block him.

When he became a Huntsman...when he became strong...he would never let someone feel that fear or despair ever again. Wherever he was needed...he'd help those he could!

Minato leapt at Jiraiya and the toad prepared to block his knife.

Until the blond teen disappeared in a flash of yellow light.

Jiraiya blinked in shock before he heard a sudden gasp and rustling of leaves behind him. He looked over his shoulder and spotted Minato lying on a branch in one of the trees. The boy seemed just as confused as him as he looked around in confusion, "What just-"

Another flash and he was gone. Jiraiya heard a grunt and looked aside to see Minato lying in the grass. He lifted himself up but then appeared by the edge of the forest with another yellow flash. He started disappearing and reappearing all over the area, slamming into the ground and bushes and trees before flashing away again. He tried to get a word out before he disappeared each time and Jiraiya found himself being talked at from all directions.

His ward continued to teleport all around him as the toad nodded, "Okay...I think we found out what you can do."

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

 _ **Done**_

 _ **ReadxReview**_

 _ **Thank You and Bye**_


	4. Flash Origin: In A Flash

Hunted or Busted: A Side Story

Dusted 4: Flash Origin: In A Flash

And now that I've made a chapter with a terrible pun, I'm happy.

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

"Tsunade, hey, sorry to bother you. Uh-huh, heh, yeah I guess it is kinda weird to get a call from me. But it's pretty important. I was training with Minato today and helping him get his forms down for his classes. Huh? Oh yeah, he's doing really well in school. He's pretty much the teacher's pet when it comes to classes and he's getting better in his combat training. But what has me really worried is just how awful he is at making friends. I mean I watch him try and it's - it's just painful. Anyway, that's not why I called. We were training and suddenly the kid activates his Semblance! Yeah, I was excited too. What kind? Get this - Teleportation. Yeah, pretty cool right! It's definitely gonna come in handy in the future. But see when he activated it he started disappearing and reappearing all over the place. He'd stop for a little bit but it'd start happening again, and it'd just gets worse with how stressed it made him. He's being teleporting all over the place since. How long? Uh...two hours?"

"JUST-"

"-KILL-"

"-ME!"

Jiraiya looked over and saw the young man continued to vanished and return into being with flashes of yellow light. He'd appear in the air before landing on the ground then hitting a tree before returning to the air with some leaves on his person. Jiraiya sighed, "Yeah it doesn't look like it's going to get any better anytime soon. What have I done? Uh...I told him to calm down. Grab the branches if he could to stop himself, but he kinda just ended up ripping the branch off with him. What do you mean I suck? What the fuck else am I supposed to do? What do you mean grab him? Did you not hear the part about him sporadically teleporting all over the place?"

"HELP ME YOU SON OF A BIT-"

"-CH!"

"Oh boy, he's actually swearing now." Jiraiya sighed, "Alright, I guess this is the hands-on approach. I'll get on it. Talk to you later - oh wait, hey could this be considered a booty- she hung up." The toad pocketed his Scroll and stepped up to where Minato continued to vanish, "Minato, have you gotten any better control of this thing yet?"

"WHAT DO-"

"-YOU THINK!"

The Faunus rolled his eyes, "Guess that's a no." The Huntsman started bouncing on his feet and watching carefully where Minato continued to flicker from existence. He spotted him landing by the base of a tree and charged over to grab him. Minato looked up and desperately reached out for his hand before flashing again. Jiraiya groaned and slid to a stop before dashing aside again.

He watched the young teen continue to flash around the area, just barely escaping his reach each time he got close. The Faunus growled, sprinting and diving each time he got close but missing by just an instant. Each time he got closer and closer but just failing to make contact with the frightened young man. Minato disappeared from the side of a tree to the air above their training ground.

Jiraiya yelled, releasing a Shockwave with both hands and sending himself flying through the air. He turned and slammed into Minato before he could disappear again, wrapping his arms around the boy and carrying them both back down into the dirt.

"O-Oh god, t-thank you." Minato gasped, rest his head back against Jiraiya's chest as the two caught their breath on the ground. The blond inhaled air desperately as his heart finally started to slow down, "I didn't think I'd ever hit ground again."

"Haha, that's one crazy Semblance you got kid." Jiraiya patted his ward's shoulders as they looked up at the sky, "But I think we have it under-"

The forest around them vanished, and they were surrounded by pure white.

The blond boy and white-haired man blinked in confusion...before gravity applied itself and their hair started to whip around violently.

"OH MY GOD!"

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"

Falling from the sky after breaching the clouds and finally seeing the ground again, the two were hugging each other and screaming desperately. Jiraiya shrieked, "DO SOMETHING MINATO!"

"WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?!"

"TELEPORT US SOMEWHERE ELSE!"

"I CAN'T CONTROL IT!"

Jiraiya looked around in a panic before spotting a blue body, "WATER! WATER OVER THERE! AIM FOR THE LAKE!"

"I DON'T KNOW HOW!"

"JUST DO SOMETHING BEFORE WE-"

They suddenly appeared over the surface of the lake and hit it hard enough to make the water explode from their impact. They breached the surface a moment later, gagging and spewing water before gasping for air. Jiraiya slapped the water in anger, "What the hell is with your Semblance?!"

"I don't know!" Minato spit up a little, "You think if I knew how to stop this I wouldn'-"

And then Jiraiya heard a curse from the trees behind him. The Faunus shook his head before swimming over to the bank of the lake and pulling himself out. He wrung out his clothes and emptied his boots as Minato continued to flicker out of existence around him. Jiraiya looked around and watched the teenager teleport all around the wooded area as he could only sigh and run a hand through his hair. He leaned back in the grass and looked up into the clouds.

...

Why did they appear up there?

For the last two hours Minato had been teleporting across the clearing, falling in the grass and tumbling in the dirt before hitting the trees. Yet they just suddenly appeared so high up in the sky, and then when they saw the lake they appeared there next.

What was different?

Minato was still in as much of a panic then as he was now. Why didn't he just appear outside the forest or further among the trees? Why was he just teleporting around the area and not anywhere else? Why weren't there sudden reports about a blond boy appearing and disappearing all around Remnant? Teleporting came with a lot of possibilities, but being able to disappear and reappear anywhere in the world was a Semblance bordering on god-like power. So why was it only around here, and then up into the sky? They'd appeared up there after he had finally grabbed the boy...

Oh...

Jiraiya finally lifted himself up and waited for Minato to teleport again. The boy stumbled into a tree before he yelled, "Minato!" The blond turned around in time to see Jiraiya pointing aside, "The tree!" He followed where he pointed but before he could ask why he teleported again. Jiraiya was already near the base of the tree when the boy had reappeared.

Minato felt Jiraiya grab his arm and pin him to the ground without any chance to resist, "What are-"

"The ground!"

"Wha-"

"Look at the ground! Just look at the dirt! Don't let your eyes travel and just look down!"

After a moment to catch his breath Minato obliged and kept his gaze solely on the ground he was pinned to. After a few moments where there wasn't anymore flashing around, Jiraiya lifted himself off the boy and stepped aside - warning him to keep looking down. A full minute went by before Minato and Jiraiya both let out a sigh of relief and panted for breath.

"W-What," Minato mumbled into the ground, "What did you do?"

"Figured out how your ability works." Jiraiya groaned, "I couldn't figure out why you kept flashing around in our training spot, then up into the sky, before reaching the lake and then flashing around here. And then it hit me. It's because you were looking at them."

Minato coughed, "What do you mean?"

"You teleport to things within your line of vision." Jiraiya explained, "You kept teleporting on the ground or in the air because they were in your line of sight, and you kept appearing in the trees because they were blocking you from seeing anything else." The toad patted the boy's back, "You can teleport anywhere within your field of vision as long as it's a clear path. But if there's something in your way, you'll teleport into that instead.

"S-So that's why I kept hitting the trees? Or why we appeared above the lake instead of in it?"

"Exactly. And since you were looking up into the sky, which is pretty boundless except for clouds, we appeared all the way up there." Jiraiya pulled himself up and let out a dry chuckle, "So as long as you keep your eyes stuck on something you can't teleport through, you won't be flashing around the place."

"No trouble there." Minato groaned, "I'm never going to use this stupid power again."

"You don't mean that."

"Of course I do!"

The toad shook his head, "Kid, do you understand just how useful and powerful your Semblance is?"

"Yeah! But do you have any idea what it feels like to disappear from one place and then just arrive at another without any warning?!" Jiraiya looked down and noted that Minato didn't dare move his gaze away from the ground, "I couldn't catch my breath sometimes! I lost my footing and before I could find it again I vanished! I thought that was it! I thought that was going to be who I am forever!"

He was left gasping for air as Jiraiya sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Exaggeration aside he could see where the fear and worry stemmed from. This wasn't the first case of someone's Semblance manifesting and causing them problems. His Shockwave didn't leave him in an existential crisis but people sure did yell at him for all the damages he caused. Not being able to control where you teleported could definitely seem daunting for a boy who just discovered his power…

But…

"I think being able to appear wherever people need your help most sounds like a pretty great ability."

The blond teen refused to raise his head or entertain the idea, but Jiraiya noticed that his frantic breathing had slowed down after hearing that. He smirked, reaching over and tussling the boy's golden hair, "I know after today's little…experience that you might be disillusioned with what your Semblance can do. But once you calm down, and see the benefits it can offer you for being a Huntsman, then we can start figuring out how to make it work."

Minato didn't respond until he mumbled into the dirt, "That was a cheap manipulation." Good on him noticing it, but it looked like it had affected him nonetheless. The young blond actually risked peeking an eye out and looking up at the Faunus, "Will this get easier to use with time?"

"Absolutely. But it's gonna take a while… and unfortunately for you…" Jiraiya grinned, "Looks like it's another trial-and-error one for us."

"Well…I guess you've got some experience with that."

"You know I do."

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

 _ **Done**_

 _ **The next chapter will be the end of the Flash Origin arc, and then after that it's pretty much free game for what comes next.**_

 _ **And for people who are worried, I'm still writing the other stories, I'm not just focusing on this. A lot of these were written ahead of time and I'm just releasing them now.**_

 _ **ReadxReview**_

 _ **Thank You and Bye**_


	5. Flash Origin: Forward We Go

Hunted or Busted: A Side Story

Dusted 5: Flash Origin: Forward We Go

And so we conclude the first arc. I think I've come to a conclusion that everything that's a prequel or set before the beginning of the story is to be considered canon, and everything after the start of it is up for debate.

But anyway, here's the end of Minato's life before Beacon. Maybe somewhere down the road I'll do something for when he and STRQ were students? Perhaps with some special guest appearances from a certain redhead fox I haven't given nearly enough time to.

However I think from the reviews I've gotten, there are a few of you dying to see what Hiruzen and Danzō's life was like before we met them. So...expect that in the near future.

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

In Mantle, when the words Atlas were brought up he could expect immediate words of spite and derision to follow by those around him. People angrily noting that Atlas was taking away all their income and jobs, leaving them to toil in the mines and other life-threatening professions. Some of the older folks in the area he once lived in would go on long and angry tirades about the horrid nature of Atlas and that they had crushed any hopes for Mantle to one day become the greatest Kingdom in the world. Even though his father had never had the same attitude towards the powerful titan of industry and agriculture, he didn't like it when it was brought up around others.

But when he was young he heard some people talk about its school for Huntsmen and Huntresses, an institute that shared its name with the Kingdom and its military. They admitted, despite their desire to hate everything about the Kingdom as a whole, that the school was the definition of beautiful. That you couldn't help but look at it, take it in with its entirety, and just…bask in its glory.

Minato had never gotten to see Atlas with his own eyes…his town in Mantle being overrun and destroyed before he had to leave it…

But if it was anything like the sight he was looking at now…he could understand the admiration.

Beacon was bigger than any other building or structure he had seen in his entire life. The court went on for as far as the eye could see and was filled to the brim with people. Columns connected by large slabs of marble stretched up higher than any house he had ever seen. But that was nothing compared to the towers and spires that raised high into the air, with the tallest one reaching the clouds from its sheer size. That middle one must have been the CCT tower for Vale, because it was more fortified than the other towers and had a faint glow to it.

Beacon was amazing. He had only just arrived and he couldn't stop the grin from splitting his face out of sheer excitement. Minato felt like running around and cheering with joy, but forced himself not to when he remembered Jiraiya's words of warning about acting like a total idiot.

Stay calm. Stay cool. Don't let anyone know how excited and ready you are to see Beacon. No matter what you can't go exploring every inch, nook, and cranny of this out of pure curiosity.

...

He flashed away the very next moment.

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

"Huh, so this is the 'distinguished' school that pumps out Huntsmen and Huntresses each year that are such a pain in our ass. Heh," The spiky-haired boy scoffed as he looked around at all the aspiring students, "I bet I could take most of these pansies before they even drew their weapons."

"Calm yourself brother," A softer and more collected voice sounded beside him in an effort to quell his growing irritation, "We gain nothing from you throwing a fit in the middle of our transition here." The male sighed in a bothered tone while rolling his eyes. The black-haired, red-eyed twins stood together and surveyed their surroundings with a careful diligence, "You might as well get used to being around this place and the people here considering we'll be staying for a while."

"Ugh, how in the hell did we get saddled with the worst job ever? I'd rather be back with the rest of the tribe, making raids and training with the others."

"We were trusted with this job because we had the most to learn and we were already capable enough fighters that we could be relied on."

"You know they've sent us to basically spy on babies and prissy little brats for who knows how long, right? Does that sound like a wonderful purpose to be blessed with?"

"Should I expect our whole time here to just be you complaining to me about how lazy you are?"

"Pfft, asshole."

The twins stood beside each other and looked up at the towers of Beacon that stretched up before them. The male sibling had scruffy black hair, sliding his hand back through it in order to spike it up. His clothes looked like they were prepared for a formal event, but had seen so much wear and tear they now suited his rough appearance.

Beside him was his sister, a lovely young woman with a soft face and black hair reaching all the way down her back. Unlike her brother her clothes were far more suited for battle, consisting of black clothing surrounded by red-plated armor. Her hand never left the large and colorful sheathe at her hip.

And the twins shared a set of deep red eyes that narrowed up at the school in front of them.

"Well...I hope this is as interesting a job as the tribe expects."

 **((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Okay, is that everything?"

"Looks like it." The two workers searched through the ships and tried to find anything lying around or left behind by the new arrivals, "Any Scrolls or luggage you can see?"

"Nope, looks like the kids got everything they need." One of the workers looked further into the Airship and found a pile of luggage covered with a blanket in the corner, "Scratch that, found something. Damn kids, always in such a hurry to see the school that they leave everything behind."

"You'd think they'd have a checklist of things to bring and what they're missing. It's what my daughter does when she goes vacationing. Ugh, oh well. Let's grab this crap and put it outside with the others."

The workers pulled off the blanket but were surprised to find a sleeping young man instead of any bags. They stared down at the sleeping teenager as he mumbled and turned in his spot, "Um, kid?"

"Uuuhhhhhh, d-don't poke."

"Kid, we're here already."

"No, wake me up when we hit Beacon."

"We're here!"

The young aspiring Huntsman grumbled and lifted himself up with a put-upon yawn. He rubbed the sand out of his eyes and stared up at the two workers over him. The boy with the pineapple-shaped ponytail smacked his lips before realizing the ship had stopped moving.

He sighed, "I thought I could at least get a few more hours of rest before this crap started."

 **((((((((Hunting))))))))**

This was Beacon. Against all odds and everyones' doubts, he had finally made it to Beacon. Jokes on everyone who thought his Semblance would be totally useless in the field of being a Huntsman. They immediately thought that Hunters only fought Grimm so his Semblance was pointless, considering Grimm had no emotions or presence that could be normally sensed. But criminals were also in a Huntsman's wheelhouse, and that's where he'd shine.

Plus he was a better fighter than anyone back home, so they could just suck it.

Feelings of victory and vindication aside, there was a sense of anxiety and nerves in his stomach. It was only subsided by the knowledge that everyone here was feeling the same thing if not even more than him. And he knew that was a fact, because he could sense the same anxiousness and trepidation from them as he felt in himself.

Doubt.

Inadequacy.

Hesitation.

Fear.

Hunger.

It was like a Grimm buffet of negative emotions and feelings...

Except for the hunger part. That was kind of unusual considering the depth and importance the shadow of their new lives was casting over them.

The young platinum-blond teen looked around and tried to pinpoint the origin of the oddity within the vast field of emotion. It wasn't that important, but at the moment anything he could do to focus on something other than his future school life was a welcome distraction.

There were the group of young men standing over there, bolstering and hyping themselves up to cover for the crushing insecurity bubbling up inside them. Then there was a group of young ladies who were probably friends arriving together, looking far less awkward and worried - probably upperclassmen just seeing the new arrivals coming in. One of them pointed his way and said something that got a giggle and interested peeks from the rest of her group. Well that was doing wonders for his self-esteem. And finally-

Yep, found him.

"Ugh," The large man groaned as he sat back into the bench. His stomach grumbled as he covered his belly, "Damn, I thought they'd at least have snacks or something to eat on the ship. Who the hell has this many people arriving on a single day and doesn't even put out finger food?!" The large brunette sighed into his hands before shaking his head, "No Chōza, don't complain. You're not doing much to help yourself if you actually complain about not having food. You're going to be a Huntsman now. Huntsmen can go - like - at least a week or so without food. Don't be a bitch. Don't be-"

"Hey buddy, you hungry?"

"Desperately!" The large teen turned to look up at the blond man before reeling back and raising his eyebrow, "Wait, why do you ask? Is it because I'm...heavy-set?"

"You mean besides the fact you were talking out loud about food just a second ago?" The blond smirked as the brunette shrugged reluctantly, "I could sense your hunger while I was looking around." The larger boy raised an eyebrow, "Now you're doubtful and think I'm making it up. Now you're concerned and think something's wrong with me. Don't be worried; my Semblance lets me senses peoples' feelings and emotions. I noticed how hungry you were while looking around and figured I'd come meet you."

"Oh...that's-"

"Interesting? Useful? A totally not stupid Semblance that can be used wonderfully in the efforts of fighting and understanding the many people and enemies I'll be facing in my career as a Huntsman?"

"I was going to say intrusive and kind of a breach in privacy."

"I'd see your point if - once again - you weren't loudly proclaiming you wanted to eat something." Again, the larger student gave a noncommitted shrug. He seemed to agree with the sentiment and stood up beside the strange platinum-blond, "Come on, let's go see if we can find some food."

They walked together for a few moments in silence before the larger boy spoke, "So~, that stuff about your Semblance...sore point?"

"N-No, why would you ask?"

"No reason. Hey look, someone who looks like they've got authority. Excuse me, sir?"

They came upon a handsome young man with a tall and demanding stature, speaking with a young blond man with a heart tattoo on his shoulder. The older man shook his head, "Oh, there's no reason to sound so formal. I'm only a teacher's assistant, and newly appointed at that."

They didn't notice the other blond student furiously shake his head, "Oh, congratulations. Hey, do you-"

"Why I'm quite honored to be standing here with all of you, hoping to help you learn the lessons that will be essential to your time as Huntsmen in the future. Why when I was a student I listened to every word and followed every teaching, and the Huntsman it made me into was one of extraordinary caliber. Once, I was faced with a horde of Ursae big enough to tower over the trees, and armed with only a hammer I had fashioned out of a log, a boulder, and some random animal dung. And yet when faced with my mighty foes-"

"I think we made a mistake."

They looked towards the tanned young blond as he nodded, "Yeah I've been trying to escape for a few minutes but you guys lit the fire again, so thanks for that."

"If I die from malnourishment, I want you to tell my story."

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

Minato stood on the balcony of one of the towers and looked out over the scenery. Vale and the forests and the oceans spread out as far as he could see. He knew he probably shouldn't be up here, considering he hadn't even properly joined Beacon yet and he was already walking around on its grounds, but he just couldn't contain his excitement.

Plus he had a Semblance that let him teleport wherever he was looking. How could he stop himself?

Minato climbed up the railing and looked down over the campus before jumping. With a little help from his Semblance he found himself already landing on top of a tree and spinning on the center of it. He flipped, leaping off the tree and teleporting down to the ground in a yellow flash. Some of the students noticed him and pointed him out. He was just too excited and dashed away, mixing his sprinting with his teleporting to cover an even greater distance.

He appeared and disappeared in front of a group of aspiring students. He leapt up and teleported over some older students who looked intrigued by what he was doing. The young blond man was crossing the entirety of Beacon in just a few seconds-

Before a black-haired boy stepped in his way.

Minato crashed into the other boy and they both went tumbling into the ground. They were left in a heap of bodies and limbs as the black-haired girl to the side let out an amused chuckle from what she had seen. The blond groaned, "Ow-"

"Ah, what the hell was that?!" The red-eyed boy growled, pulling himself away and climbing to his feet with a fierce snarl, "Hey kid, what the hell were you playing at?!"

"S-Sorry, that was my mistake. You got in my line of sight and I couldn't stop myself."

"So you're blaming me?"

"No, not at all. I just said-"

"Look kid!" The angry red-eyed boy grabbed Minato by the collar and yanked him up to his feet, "Where I come from, when a snot-nosed little brat runs into you like that, there needs to be some retribution. So how about you-"

Minato grabbed the hands around his collar and yanked them down, pulling them off and trying to flip the aggravated boy away from him. The red-eyed aspiring student turned with the twist in his hand, pulling Minato along before throwing him over his shoulder. Minato flipped and landed on the ground before matching the glare aimed his way.

The black-haired boy narrowed his eyes before looking over his shoulder, "You wanna help your dear brother out here?"

"Oh no, I'm enjoying myself far too much to intervene."

"Fine," He turned back around and stood up, "I hope you're ready for this, punk."

"I don wanna fight you, but I will if I have to."

"Works for me-"

"Stop!"

A new voice intervened, running up between the two ready boys and intervening before they could actually start fighting. The shorter girl looked between them, "Come on, you can't start fighting just like that!"

"Look kid I don't know who you are but you should get out of here before you get caught up in this."

"Kid? I'm joining the new class too!"

"You are? You look like you could be one of the teachers' kids or something."

"I-I'm just kinda short! And it's not like you're the tallest guy around! Clearly you're not the most mature!"

"What did you-"

"Enough." The black-haired girl that had been watching silently at the side finally intervened and pulled on her brother's shoulder, "We don't want to make a spectacle like this before we even join the school. How about you calm down and walk away from this right now before I have to drag you away."

Her brother grumbled before standing up and dusting himself off. But not before aiming a spiteful glare towards Minato, "Hey punk, my sister and this girl just saved you for now. How about you thank them while you can?"

"Sure," Minato smirked, "Thank you both very much. I wasn't looking forward to getting all the blood and tears off my hands after beating him so badly."

"We're going." The twin sister grabbed her brother's collar and dragged him away as he cursed and kicked his feet wildly.

Minato chuckled and grinned at the reaction he got as he stood victoriously. His pride wilted however when he looked over and saw the silver eyes looking up at him unimpressed and judging. He buckled in and scratched his neck, "Uh...I did say sorry."

The white-hooded girl covered her face and groaned into her hand, "How did you even pick a fight with that guy?"

"I kinda, sorta ran into him while seeing Beacon and we tumbled into the ground. I-I tried to apologize but then he grabbed my collar and started getting angry, so I yanked his hands down. But he threw me, then we squared off, and well...that's when you got here."

"Geez, how can you get into a fight that quickly just after arriving. And how did you run into him?"

"He got in the way of my Teleportation and I hit him like that."

Her eyes widened, "Teleportation? You can teleport?! Are you serious?!" Her tone and demeanor changed instantly to one of intrigue and amazement, "That is such a cool Semblance! Can you show me how you do it?! Please! Please!"

"Y-Yeah, sure." Minato looked aside and appeared over by another side of the path in a yellow flash. He heard the strange girl gasp and clap with enjoyment before appearing by her side again, "Just kinda like that."

"That is so cool!" She failed to hide her giddy tone and shook with excitement, "What is it like?! Is it super fast movement or do you actually move from one place to another?! Do you - like - lose your body and molecules and junk when you do and-" She paused in her fast tirade to see the worried but amused look on his face. She stepped down and coughed before shaking her head, "S-Sorry, I get a little carried away. I just realized I haven't even asked your name."

"I feel like there should be an introduction first before you ask someone else for their name."

"Fine," The silver-eyed, white-hooded girl shrugged and smiled, "I'm Summer Rose. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." He took her hand, "I'm Minato Namikaze."

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

 _ **Done**_

 _ **Minato's tale is finished for now, with some looks at how Minato and Qrow started going at each other's throats. Plus my first actual introduction of Summer Rose!**_

 _ **We don't have all the details of their past yet, but I have some ideas of the wacky adventures they can have during their time at Beacon, and I'll make sure to write them someday.**_

 _ **Next week is kind of a special chapter, more for myself and others that might enjoy the same thing. But after that I'll go back to writing all my other stories and stuff. This was just kind of a project to ease myself into the new year.**_

 _ **I hope you stick around to see what happens next.**_

 _ **ReadxReview**_

 _ **Thank You and Bye**_


	6. A Kingdom's Patient Heart

Hunted or Busted: A Side Story

Dusted 6: A Kingdom's Patient Heart

I love Kingdom Hearts. And if any of you feel the same, this is for you after such a long wait.

For everyone else...hey, enjoy the finale and gen:LOCK!

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

"I wanted to take the time and tell all of you that classes will be canceled for the next week after today." Glynda announced to the sound of uproarious cheers and applause from the student body, "The faculty have some matters they need to attended to urgently and it requires out full attention. There will still be assignments and homework for you complete during the break so you do not forget the material we covered, but as far as attendance then know that you won't be expected back in class until next Monday. That is all."

"Huh?" Jaune hummed, "Why do you think they suddenly canceled classes like that?"

"Who cares! We're free!" Naruto and several others yelled and cheered in blissful joy. The opportunity to leave classes and enjoy time to themselves was a blessing, but a whole week of classes being canceled was a miracle! The whiskered Faunus grinned as his ears twitched on his head, "Oh this is gonna be good!"

"A week! A whole week! Is this a miracle?! Is this heaven?!" Nora questioned, grabbing Ren and shaking him violently before he could give an answer.

"Ah, I can't believe this is happening!" Ruby brimmed with joy and excitement as her grin nearly took over her entire face. She was bouncing in place and looking between all her friends, "We've been blessed! This is the best time for this to happen too!"

"It is?" Jaune inquired while looking at his shorter friend's excitable behavior, "Why this week?"

"Why?!" Jaune squeaked as Ruby leapt on him, grabbing his collar and crouching on his chest as she shook him, "Because this is it! This has been the week we've waited for! The day we never thought would come! The game! The game! The game is coming out!"

"W-What?" Jaune stuttered but instead of confusion it sounded like genuine shock and disbelief. He stood up straight, not minding that Ruby was still crouched on his chest and keeping herself level with his collar, "It is? I-It's really coming out?"

"You didn't know?"

"I heard it had a release date, b-but I dared not dream." Tears welled up in his eyes, "Has it really come?"

"I didn't know you were a fan too!" She leapt off his breastplate and grabbed his hands as they started jumping in place, "It's coming! It's coming! It's finally here!"

Jaune's cried unashamed, voice cracking as he smiled, "I can't believe I actually lived long enough to see this day come!"

"You're crying a lot." Ruby noted with a cheery laugh before turning around to her friends, "Hey, did you guys hear about the game coming out?"

"That odd little mashup of cartoon characters and pop star looking teenagers wielding those impractical swords and traveling between worlds?" Weiss said with a scoff before pulling out her Scroll and walking away, "Yes, and I have better things to do."

"We have an entire week we need to plan for! Let's not waste a moment!"

The group of friends scattered and prepared for their week off while Jaune and Ruby watched them leave. The two friends looked between each other and shrugged, accepting that they would be the only ones celebrating the new release.

However what they didn't notice was how their friends' expressions hardened and darkened once they were out of sight.

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

Naruto and Sasuke stocked up, putting on their battle gear before meeting each other's eyes and nodding.

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

Weiss spun the chamber on her blade before clicking it back into place.

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

Yang hid herself away and started to prepare the sanctuary.

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

Pyrrha was done playing the nice girl.

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

Blake snapped her magazine into place before locking her blade onto her back.

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

Many people were preparing for the night ahead...with grim determination...and their goal so close in sight.

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

"Are the children asking any questions?"

"We just gave them the entire week off. They forgot there was such a thing as school the moment the assembly ended."

"Fair enough."

"Right, so how shall we go about procuring our treasures?"

"Right, let's get to it." A large map of Vale was unfolded atop the table as a cane came down to point at a spot in the city, "This is the spot we shall be retrieving them. Got it memorized?" There were a mix of nods and groans at his not so subtle reference, "It will be at a late hour at a smaller store where most people won't be going to retrieve it. I believe there, away from all the celebration and pageantry, we will grab the games before anyone else."

"It's in a bit of a rough area of the city."

"Which is exactly why no one will be going there to buy them."

"Brilliant deduction sir!"

The two other man clapped the headmaster on the back for his genius as the sole female teacher hung her head and sighed.

"But that only leaves one more question for us to answer." The green-haired professor spoke lowly as he looked between his comrades, "What happens when we get there? Who gets the first one?"

The sense of camaraderie and solidarity between the teachers quickly died a fast and cold death. The ease in the room quickly filled with tension instead as each of them eyed each other dangerously. Where once there stood comrades there simply stood enemies that hadn't tried to kill them yet.

"Can I make a suggestion?" The blonde teacher spoke up and looked sternly between her fellow teachers, "I believe that it would only hurt our cause to argue and fight each other before the dawn of battle. I propose that we continue to work and fight together to reach our goal, and when we do...it's everyone for themselves."

"You're suggesting we have each other's backs until its time to stab them?"

"Correct."

"I'm alright with that."

"As am I."

"Wonderful! We have a game plan!"

The four teacher placed their hands in the middle and swore to work together until they didn't need to. Truly no better team had ever been formed.

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

" _ **Cinder, the time is almost upon us. I trust you shall act swiftly in seeing this matter through."**_

"Of course ma'am."

" _ **Good. I expect much from you Cinder."**_

Cinder ceased communications with her superior and looked ahead with firm eyes. Mercury and Emerald were sat along with her in the room; Emerald watching her leader in silence as Mercury silently trained to the side. Once the call was finished they turned to their amber-eyed leader.

Cinder arose from her bed, "I trust you two understand what we must do now."

Emerald nodded, "Of course ma'am." She had sworn fealty to Cinder and whatever plans she concocted. The horrors and evils she might commit...she was prepared for whatever sins would weigh on her. That was the decision she made when she gave Cinder her life, "I'm ready for anything."

"Me too." Mercury lifted himself back up and stretched out his limbs, a cocky smirk on his face. He was a killer. He was born to one. Trained as one. Treated as one. Acted as one. And when the universe saw him at his lowest point, it set him on a path to follow that lifestyle. There was no need for fear or regret or doubt for him anymore, he knew what he was, and what he was going to do, "Ready whenever you are."

"We will be acting tonight." The lovely raven-haired monster whispered in her silky tone as she stood up and looked out from the window over the academy. She turned to her followers, "I hope you are prepared, because we will have to be ruthless to achieve what we want."

"Tonight?" Emerald and Mercury looked between each other in surprise before turning back to the woman in the silk red dress. She raised a fine eyebrow up in challenge before they nodded, "Forgive us ma'am, but we didn't expect to be acting so soon."

Cinder remained silent before a melancholy chuckle passed softly from her lips, "Yes, I don't believe any of us planned for this day to come. And yet here it is."

"It's pretty soon, isn't it?" Mercury questioned. His blood froze when Cinder's cold glare turned to him and he felt like death hovered over his shoulder. He raised his hands passively, "What I mean is I thought we were going to enact the plan during the festival. When everyone was together and there would be more of a freak out when the ball finally dropped. If we need to act sooner then that's cool, but just a little unexpected."

"Hehe," Another faint laugh came from Cinder as she shook her head, "Oh no, you seem to misunderstand. This has nothing to do with the plan or what we've been waiting for. This…is something far more important."

"It is?" Emerald gulped, "What are we doing Cinder?"

"Isn't it obvious?" She flipped her hair extravagantly over her shoulder and smiled in her devilish manner, "We are procuring two copies of the new Kingdom Hearts game that drops tonight!"

"…"

"…"

"You're shocked, obviously."

Mercury nodded, "Obviously."

"Wait wait wait." Emerald shook her head with a befuddled expression on her face, "So that talk you had with Salem? All this preparation? It's for a game?"

"Not just any game." Cinder smirked with a vile sneer, "It's the sequel to the game years in the making. I truly never thought it would come to fruition, but here we are…on the eve of release."

"New game?" Mercury blinked, "Are you talking about that stupid game series for kids about friendship and heart-"

"Mercury." The silver-haired boy clammed up at Cinder's low tone, "You're a survivor, and you're smart too. Now tell me…do you think finishing that next sentence is the best thing for your health?"

"N-No Cinder."

"Clever boy."

"But Salem!" Emerald gawked in disbelief, "That Salem wants a copy of that corny ass game! W-WHY?! WHY DO YOU EVEN KNOW ABOUT IT?!"

Cinder shook her head and wistfully looked out at the setting sun, "I don't think I've ever told you two how this all started for me, have I?" Her ember eyes glowed in the sunshine as she thought back to the moment her life changed forever, "Let me tell you…how it all began."

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

 _Young Cinder bounced in her seat after finally completing her game after an arduous, difficult journey. She grinned, "Oh boy, I finally beat it! And there's a teaser at the end too! AH, I'm so excited! I can't wait for the next game to come out!"_

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

"But it never came! And I was left disillusioned and bitter to the wonders of the world! Naturally I turned to a life of evil and degeneracy as a result of being denied this game! And just as I've settled into it, the fabled sequel finally arrives. Keh, feels like the universe is just trying to toy with me."

...

Mercury looked flabbergasted after what he had just heard. He thought he was stumped, but from the sheer catatonic look on Emerald's face he guessed he was the one that had to do the talking. He shook his head, "So we're going out tonight to buy that game?"

"Indeed we are."

"But do you really have to be so excited about it? I mean it's not really the sequel, right? I mean they released like half-a-dozen other games since that one, righ-"

Mercury was floored as Cinder's hand embedded itself in his cheek and knocked him off his feet. Cinder glared down at him, "If you know what's good for you, you'll shut your fucking mouth,"

Emerald was abandoned on the street and had to fight every moment in order to survive and make it in the world without anyone to call a loved one.

Mercury was beaten and abused by his bastard father, trained and tormented in order to take up the role of merciless assassin that twisted him into the monster he was now.

But not getting a game you really wanted...

Yeah...seemed like a legit start to darkness if they'd ever heard one.

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

"Hey Jaune," Ruby looked up at her taller friend with slight worry, "I'm really excited too, but are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, of course I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"Because it's like you've been crying nonstop since I told you it's coming out today." The scraggly blond's eyes were deep red from endless crying over the last few hours, "Do you need to rehydrate or something?"

"Way ahead of you." He pulled out his water bottle and shook it victoriously; as if proud that he had already planned in case his unending crying caused him to pass out. He rubbed his eyes and sniffled, "But the reason I'm all teary is because I've been listening to the soundtrack for the last few hours."

"Oh wow, yeah, that'd definitely do it."

"It really does." Jaune nodded before holding out an earphone, "You wanna listen with me?"

"No!" Ruby adamantly shook her head before meekly looking down, "I'm-I'm not ready for that feels trip again."

"Okay, more for me." Jaune plugged his ears and started playing the soundtrack. Almost immediately his eyes watered and his lips quivered as he was assaulted by a ferocious onslaught of emotions.

Ruby ignored the quiet sobbing at her side as she started to shake with excitement. She had been hyping herself up for this day for years, but now that it was finally here she just couldn't believe she was so close to holding it in her hands.

What was she going to do first? Should she try making a walkthrough and upload it to the internet? If she did it early it could be pretty popular. As soon as she could she was going to update and enhance the ship however she could because that was one of her favorite parts. It was going to take some time to figure out how to map her magic spells and items, but it was gonna be so much fun.

Whatever it was, Ruby was certain that she'd have to kill somebody if there was another freakin' rhythm mini-game for her to play.

Just around this corner was the game store, and there she could finally get her hands on the brand new-

"OH MY GOD WHY?!"

They could only look on in shock and horror as they rounded the street corner and came onto an entire city block filled to the brim with the hustle and bustle of people. Many of them were dressed up in familiar clothing and weapons, while some had put on even more elaborate costumes of black and white to portray the monsters of the series.

Ruby's shoulders sagged in disappointment at the sea of people in front of her. Even so, her disappointment changed to one of astonishment and admiration at all the amazing work people had put into their costumes. She spotted one of the black, yellow-eyed creatures that posed the greatest threat to the world of the game.

But it looked so cute!

"Excuse me!" Ruby ran up to the costumed person as Jaune quickly followed after her. She came up to the twitchy Heartless with a bright smile, "That is such an amazing cosplay! Can we get a few pictures with you please?"

"R-Ruby?"

Ruby and Jaune immediately recognized the the high-pitched voice muffled inside the head of the costume, "Weiss!"

"Shh!" The heiress in the bug-eyed costume hushed them with a wave of her floppy appendages. The Heartless looked around suspiciously before whispering quietly, "Don't say my name so loud!"

"Is that really you inside that thing?"

"Y-Yes, okay, it's me."

"What are you doing here?"

"Why do you think? I came to purchase the new game of course."

"You did!" Ruby smiled, "Weiss I didn't know you were a fan of this series. Wait, didn't you say it was silly before when I was talking about it?"

"I-I had to say that! Do you have any idea what kind of rumors or problems might occur if people took notice that the daughter of the Schnee Dust Company was obsessed with a series like this? I can't talk about it out loud."

"So you're answer was to buy the game dressed up in a way no one would recognize you?"

"Indeed."

"Isn't it hot in there?"

"Extremely."

"Then why didn't you pick something more breathable to change into?"

"Why would I want to be anything else but the most adorable creature in the series?"

Ruby and Jaune blinked and shared a look of confusion, "But they're like the biggest monsters in the whole game."

"Hmph!" Weiss tried to take her normal petulant stance with her crossed arms and turned chin, but it didn't quite get through with the costume she was currently wearing, "That doesn't not make them the most adorable creatures in existence! If they wanted to go for more menace and evil, they shouldn't have made them look so cuddly."

"I bet you were one of those fans that has plushies of them in your room, right?"

"..."

Ruby and Jaune grinned, "I bet you're blushing, right?"

"Both of you shut up!"

"Whoa! That is an awesome costume!" Two boys dressed up as the main protagonists of the series came running over, dressed exactly to model and carrying fake weapons to match. They came to a stop beside them before one held out his Scroll to Ruby and Jaune, "Hey, can you guys take a picture of us-"

"..."

"..."

Ruby stifled a giggle, "You two look really convincing."

A blush covered Naruto's whiskered cheeks as he avoided their eyes, "I didn't think you'd be coming here to get the game."

"Weiss is wearing this by the way."

"Ruby!"

"Huh, I guess we weren't the only ones coming out in full regalia." Naruto shrugged as he hefted his key-shaped sword onto his shoulder and let it rest there, "Yeah we wanted to get here early and buy the games dressed up like this. Thought we could get on the news."

"You've been waiting while all these people showed up?"

"They were already here when we arrived. This is a bigger deal than I think we gave it credit."

Jaune looked over the crowd, "Did you guys give up your spots or something to come back here?"

"Oh, no spots. I think it's just a general consensus that when the game is finally released, we'll all just rush the store and stomp on each other to get our copy."

Jaune paled in horror, "That's…that's horrific."

"It's chaotic as shit, but at least we're all okay with it." It was odd seeing their Faunus friend so casually complicit with the idea of assaulting and attacking others to get what he wanted. But before they could bring that to his attention, the whiskered teen grinned and looked between his friends, "What about you guys? I know Weiss went the whole nine yards but you guys didn't want to dress up as your favorite characters?"

"I don't think I could." Jaune meekly scratched his cheek, "I don't exactly have the, um, figure to pull off her outfit." The others looked at him with a mix of amusement and enjoyment as he blushed with embarrassment, "I always liked the prequel characters' stories the best, and the female hero was my favorite character from the whole series. My sister liked Terra's story the most, but she loved Aqua as a character. She said if there was some way to combine the two..." Jaune paused, gazing ahead blankly in deep thought before realization slowly dawned upon him, "Oh things are starting to connect now."

"I liked the Organization members the most! The were so cool!" Ruby giggled while bouncing on her feet, "I may or may not have spent a period of time in Signal dressed in a black overcoat."

Weiss sighed, "So you definitely did."

"My favorite members were Marluxia and Xigbar! I think I liked them so much because one had such a great look and eccentricity to what he did, while the other one was so funny and snarky and fun to listen to and-"

"One of them has a scythe with flowers, and the other is a sniper. Not that hard to see where your favor comes from." Ruby blushed and pouted, grumbling something under her breath about not being that obvious. Naruto proudly showed off his costume and keyblade, "I'm Sora, or Roxas if I feel like taking off the wig. And Sasuke is Riku, because of course he is."

Weiss looked at the Uchiha through her Heartless outfit, "I'm surprised you're fond of this series."

"Naruto introduced me when we started playing video games together. I'm not sure why he thought I'd be interested in a kid's game with cartoon characters constantly spouting stuff about light and darkness and hearts and friendship."

Once more they looked over the usually stoic young man and his attire. He had faithfully recreated the deuteragonist's clothes down to the last detail, with a totally accurate weapon and stance as well. Plus unlike Naruto he had opted to dye his hair silver-white for the occasion.

The others were oddly impressed by his commitment.

Weiss found her face heating up a little at the sight of him having white hair like hers. But she just blamed it on the fact she was overheated in her black outfit on an ungodly hot day. Yeah, that made much more sense those these silly fantasies in her head where his name is Sasuke Schnee.

Oh gods…purge those thoughts. Abandon the temptation.

"Weiss, you okay? You've just been standing there for several minutes in silence."

"No father I don't care what you - huh?" Weiss stumbled in the Heartless outfit before looking around in a daze, "What were we talking about?"

"That it's crazy that we're all here together!" Ruby repeated while looking around at her friends, "I wish we all found out we love this series before coming here. We could have replayed the games together in a marathon!"

"Oh that would have been awesome!" Naruto shared in her enthusiasm as smiled, "You think we could've converted a few more of our friends if we did?"

"I think it would have been really cool if we all got together and played it. It would totally make playing this game more fun if we can experience it all together." Jaune added before shrugging, "Although I've been dying to play this game for years now and I don't think I'd just want to watch someone else play it; even if it was one of my best friend."

Ruby nodded, "Good point."

Naruto agreed, "I'd be livid."

"I don't just wanna watch someone play it." Sasuke stated, "Weiss?"

"I'd hurt someone if I had to wait to play this any longer." With the feeling mutual for all of them, the group stood together and tried not to get lost in the massive crowd, "I thought this store would be easier to buy from because it isn't the most popular in the city. But apparently everyone had the same thought. Perhaps it would have been more beneficial for us to head back into the city and purchase there?"

"Uhh…" Jaune gulped and turned his Scroll around so his friends could see, "I don't think that's such a good idea."

 _("This is Lisa Lavender, reporting to you live from the center of Vale, where pandemonium and bedlam grip the masses! A riot has broken out with over a thousand people, as customers barrel through and attack each other in order to own the new game coming out tonight! There were attempts to enter the store in an orderly fashion, however that quickly devolved once patrons started claiming their spots and trying to cut in line. I'm not quite sure how we got here now, but a figure clad in brown light has created a 50-foot golem of dust and sand and is currently engaging in battle with Mistral's four time champion!")_

 _("I've defeated the Data-Organization, Pyrrha Nikos! I can handle you!")_

 _("The Lingering Will was the best challenge I've ever had playing a game! I refuse to hand it over!")_

The two charged each other on the screen, and the resulting battle caused the camera to cutoff before they could see anything. However the faint echo of an explosion miles away and the earthquake under their feet did leave them realizing that the battle was about as epic as they expected.

"So...let's just stay here, okay?"

"This is ludicrous! It's highway robbery! How can you two just stand there and allow this?!" The group of students recognized the indignant cry off to the side and looked over to see what was causing the ruckus. When they did they found their cat Faunus friend arguing with a set of twins in white and red uniforms, selling some custom-made ice cream in the fashion of the sea salt treat from the series, "You tantalize us with finally getting to taste this delicacy just to rob us in the process!"

"Hey bitch, you don't need to buy one."

"Yeah, you can, like, piss off and stand in the heat while waiting for your game like everyone else. Your choice."

Blake remained tense and silently debated to herself what she should do. Her nose scrunched up and she pouted furiously at the criminal twins before pulling out her wallet and reluctantly handing over some Lien. The twins gladly snatched up her money and handed over a seafoam blue Popsicle for the bow-wearing girl. She took it with an angry grumble and glared daggers at the two vendors, "I hope you're proud of yourselves."

"Of course we are. We just made a sale."

"Come get your sea salt ice cream! On sale! Buy one get the next one for the exact same price! It's a steal, trust us!"

Blake slipped away while other people started taking an interest and lining up around the twins. She stomped away in a mood but the moment she started partaking in her frozen treat her harsh expression softened. Her eyes closed blissfully and her bow started to wiggle from her ears happily dancing on her head. She made her way through the crowd before she found herself in front of a group. Blake opened her eyes to see who it was, but then found herself frozen in surprise.

"…"

"…"

She defensively protected her ice cream, "Get your own." Ruby and Jaune seemed saddened and reluctantly stepped back while eyeing the blue-green popsicle. Blake continued to enjoy it before looking her costumed friends over, "You two certainly put in the effort. I'd give Naruto a 8.5/10, and Sasuke a 10/10 - great commitment."

Sasuke graciously nodded, "Thanks for noticing."

"Blake! Blake! Guess what!" Ruby excitedly spoke to her teammate before pointing at the Heartless besides them, "You'll never guess whose inside here~!"

"Weiss." She took another bite and shrugged at her leader's stunned expression, "Honestly I'm shocked you didn't notice the huge Heartless outfit trying to be conspicuously hidden in our bedroom before today."

"O-Oh, t-that silly thing? Pssh, I-I totally noticed it too like super easy and everything! I-I-I just didn't want to ruin her fun by pointing it out so early...y-yeah."

"Smooth." Naruto chuckled as Ruby pouted at him and started bumping her foot against his shin. He took it in strike and looked at his fellow Faunus with a smile, "So Blake, what are you looking forward to the most from the new game?"

"Mostly the story elements. How everything wraps up and how it finally concludes." The cat girl nodded, "But I think I'll be happiest to see the SoraxRiku story reach a satisfying conclusion."

It took a moment for what she said to register before their eyes grew in size, "But Sora and Riku aren't like that."

"HAHA!" They jumped back in surprise at Blake's sudden and boisterous laughter, watching her double over and hold her stomach in pain. The laughter quickly started a ripple effect that traveled over the entire crowd and caused a roaring cackle to build up. It continued on for a few moments before coming to a gradual stop.

Blake caught her breath and wiped the tears from her eyes, "Oh...that's a good one. Funny joke."

A chime rung out over the area and everyone stilled, ("Attention everyone! This is an announcement about the stock of the game! At the moment we only have about a hundred copies to sell, due to our bigger store needing more of the inventory for their large sale. As such, I regret to inform you that not everyone will be getting a copy today. If you will please wait patiently, we will decide how to choose the first hundred people to buy the game.")

There were no cries of anguish or anger.

No sad sniffling or muffles.

No outward emotion whatsoever.

After a moment the Beacon group just laughed to themselves. Jaune wiped his eyes, "Oh, that kinda figures, doesn't it?"

"Tell me about it!" Ruby giggled, "All this time waiting and they don't have enough copies. Man, it's so cruel it's kinda funny."

The Beacon students continued to laugh off the fateful turn-

("We will be handing one hundred tickets out that will allow access into the store. Now if you will be form an orderly line-")

Hell.

Shopping for games was hell.

The close-knit friends that had been fighting beside each other for so long turned on each other like animals. Naruto and Sasuke dashed for the store without a moment hesitation. Ruby ditched Jaune, using her Speed to vanish and gain the upper hand. Blake made to follow, but as if her pettiness had built up and she realized she didn't want more rivals than she already had, she knocked Weiss over in her Heartless outfit and sprinted for the store.

Punches were thrown.

People were knocked over.

The city block had turned into a war zone with people attacking each other in the riot. Relationships were ruined and friendships were betrayed as they all charged for the store.

"Move! Move! We don't have much time!" Naruto roared as he jumped on the shoulders of other people and made his way over the crowd, "I won't let anyone else get one before me!"

"I see the store! Almost! There-"

A huge section of people were blown off their feet by a tremendous force. The Beacon students were nearly overwhelmed by the swarm of people flying over them and had to come to a stop. The students lifted themselves up and looked at the man in the center of the attack.

"HOHO!" A stout man with his features hidden under a black coat stood proudly with his blunderbuss axe in hand. He hefted the mighty weapon on his shoulder and gave a hearty chortle, "You thought you could covet this game with only strength like this! Is your conviction only this strong?! Then the game is mine! Ahahaha-"

"Professor Port?"

The short man in the black coat flinched and looked back in a start. His face was shrouded in darkness but the change in demeanor made his shock clear. His voice stuttered, "M-Ms. Rose - I-I'm mean who are you talking about young lady?! I am simply a man with no name and no heart, come to procure-"

"Huh?" Naruto and Sasuke came along soon after, "Professor Port?"

"No, I-I'm not this ruggedly handsome man you all seem to believe I am! Like I just said-"

Jaune stumbled over, panting for air, before looking up, "Oh hey Professor, what are you doing dressed up like that?"

"Seriously I'm not-"

"Hello Professor, quite the interesting choice of attire you have there. Almost like you're trying to hide your features so no one knows it is you that's attacking civilians to try and buy a video game." The man in the coat clammed up when Blake appeared by their side, "It'd be a real shame if word got out that an esteemed faculty member from Beacon, who is also a trained and accomplished Huntsman, was using his skills to attack poor innocent civilians simply to get what he wants."

"M-Ms. Belladonna, are you filming with that Scroll?"

"I would never, Professor Port. That would be insinuating I was planning to use this as some kind of evidence or blackmail." The bow-wearing girl waved off his idea while her Scroll continued to flash a red light on her screen, "But I would never do something like that to the mysterious man who was helping us."

"B-Beg pardon?"

"If a trained warrior and educator was using his skills on others, I'd have a duty as an upstanding member of society to report it." Blake shrugged, "However if a nameless individual just so happened to clear a path to us to reach the store and get what we want, then he'd have my undying gratitude. I'd have to delete any such proof I may or may not have if something like that happened."

...

The man in the black coat seemed to deflate before motioning with his weapon, "F-Follow me then. I promise I shall lead you to your destination without a hitch."

The students watched their teacher started to clear a path before they all looked at Blake with complicated expression, "You can be really devious sometimes."

Blake nodded, "I'm not going let something like morals or ethics get in my way now. If I have to be a heartless monster in order to get what I want then so be it."

"You know from the game's perspective that'd make you-"

"Stop analyzing and run!"

The group of students followed their disguised teacher through the crowd as he cleared a path. Most people were being sensible and jumping out of the way, but for the poor fools who tried to pick a fight they found themselves sent flying from his swings.

"Um Profes- I-I'm mean Mister Mystery Man," Ruby made her way up besides the axe-wielding Huntsman, "Are you gonna be alright? This is a lot of people to barrel through."

"My dear, I beat 1000 Heartless in a single go! I can handle this!"

Ruby didn't have to stomach to tell him she had done the same, and most likely everyone here had done so too. Plus that was a video game and this was reality, but he was burning with passion and she didn't want to interrupt that.

They came upon another group of buyers being knocked away and defeated by another man in a black coat. This one was far taller and more lanky than the shorter one leading them. He was waving around a bat made from a thermos with a flame at the end of it. He expertly spun it in his hand, "Just a little longer and hopefully we'll have all the-"

"Barty! We need to talk!"

"Excuse me?" He turned around to the oncoming group, "I'm sorry but I do not know-"

"Yeah yeah, not now." The shorter coat convened with the taller one and pulled him down, "We kind of have a problem." He leaned in and started whispering softly before they separated. They looked back at the group of students.

Blake's eyes were dangerously narrowed as she had her Scroll recording their every move.

The taller man coughed into his fist, "I see the problem now. Very well, follow us young ones. We should be reaching the store soon."

"But how Professor?"

"Doctor! I-I mean I'm not a doctor who said that?!" The taller man shook his head, "Anyway, there's no need to worry. The path should be clearing up in 3, 2, 1-"

There was a sound uproar of screams and yells of concern as a massive portion of the crowd in front of them were lifted off their feet. Instead of being sent flying, the civilians were left suspended in the air where they flailed around in an effort to escape their sudden situations.

"Come comrades!" A female in the black garb waved her riding crop around and motioned for her associates to follow her under the wave of people she lifted with her ability, "We have a straight shot to the store! Our leader is there right now and..." Her rousing speech paused when she noticed the students with them, "This is bad, isn't it?"

"Yeah." The two men nodded, "We're going to be leading these fine students to the store to help them buy what they want. Out of the goodness of our hearts."

"And not just because one of them might have blackmail material on us."

"Then go children!" The stern-voiced woman said with a dramatic flair as she pointed down the path, "Go out and reach your goal!"

Th Beacon students made their way past and ran through to the store. Jaune looked back at the black coats before whispering to Sasuke, "They're really trying to stay in character, aren't they?"

"It's kind of embarrassing, but considering what I'm wearing and how I dyed my hair I guess I can't really say much."

"We're here! This is it!" Ruby announced as they approached the storefront and saw the doors slowly open for them, "Just a few more steps and we'll be the first ones to-"

When the door finally opened, they were faced with the final black coat standing before them; his stature firm and the cane in his hand gripped tightly. A familiar voice echoed from within the hood of the coat, "I see you defeated my cohorts."

"Sure, let's go with that."

"Well no matter. We find ourselves here, at the precipice of victory. Only one person can take the honor of the first purchase." The leader kicked his cane out from under him, spinning it in his hand before aiming the tip of it at the group of students, "If you believe you'll get the first purchases, then you'll have to go through me."

"I don't think we have to." Naruto smugly said as he smirked and pointed back at his cat friend, "You see we've been recording you and the other teachers using your skills and powers just to reach the store. And if you don't want this stuff to hit the internet-"

"Post it." They looked at the black coat in surprise as the older man spoke with certainty and conviction, "You think a controversy or a scandal is enough to make me falter? You think we ever expected to come out of this simple and clean! Here at the top of the mountain! At our sanctuary! Post it! Send it across the world! Don't think twice about it! I'm willing to sacrifice what I've built up if it means I can finally hold this game in my hands! My comrades and I are ready to accept poverty, destitution, unemployment, and squalor if it means we can reach our goal! We'll face our fears! EN-"

The leader was suddenly lifted off his feet and slammed into the ceiling. He was subsequently slammed back into the ground hard enough to crack it. And it was repeated again. And again. And again.

The Beacon students stared on in horror before looking over their shoulders. The female black coat had her riding crop extended before reaching up to her face, possibly fixing a pair of glasses over her nose before coughing, "I apologize for his behavior, and all those terrible puns. He doesn't speak for all of us. We can wait after you. Please go ahead."

They hesitated for a moment before slowly stepping over the twitching body of the black coat lying in the middle of the crater. Once they had passed over the unconscious body, the man was dragged out by his female companion to wait outside.

"Excuse me?" They turned back around to find several stands of their much desired game on display, with several registers open at once, "You're the first ones here. Do you want to make a purchase?"

Tears filled Jaune's eyes in an instant. The others simply celebrated with arms raised in victory.

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

"You're back!" Yang exclaimed once the door opened and she saw her sister standing in its frame. The older sister had changed their bedroom into the ultimate gaming pad; every blanket and pillow and sheet perfectly melded together to form two reclining chairs of peak perfection. Snacks and treats and drinks were placed all around the floor, with the gaming system situated a mere two feet away from them. The older sister bounced in place as she had already changed into her pjs, "Took you long enough!"

"I don't wanna hear you complaining." Ruby said with a grumpy pout as she walked in and fished her game out of the bag. She tossed it to her sister before lifting herself up to her bunk bed and grabbing her pajamas. She pulled off her top and slid her pants down as she watched Yang caress the game cover to her cheek, "I'm the one that had to stand in line and fight my way over to get it! Literally fight for it!"

"Oooohhhhh~, that's it. Mama's been waiting for you." Yang ignored her sister's whining and continued to nuzzle the game to her chest like a baby. She looked back and saw her sister finish changing into her comfy clothes, "We played to see who bought the game and who set up the area. Not my fault you pulled scissors."

"I hate it when you use rock. I feel like my fingers are gonna break." The little sister dropped into her chair and snuggled up into it. She was almost in the perfect position before her big sister pulled her into her chest, "Yang?"

The blonde grinned, "Can you believe we finally get to play?"

Ruby grinned as well, "I'm so happy."

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

Weiss frowned as she sat alone on her side of the curb, having finally taken off her Heartless head to get some fresh air. The Schnee heiress frowned in annoyance as she rubbed her feet against the pavement.

Because of her costume, and the size of the crowd, she couldn't get through fast enough to join her friends in their mad rush to the store.

And she didn't get her game. So here she was...wallowing in her sadness and disappointment.

The heiress frowned, her pout deepening and even a tear threatening to spill from the corner of her eyes. However those feelings faded when a copy of the game was lowered before her face.

"Huh?" Weiss blinked and gently took the game in her floppy hands. She looked up and behind her to see Blake with a second copy and a smile on her face, "You got me a copy."

"Sorry for knocking you over. My competitive spirit was really flaring at the moment." Blake sat down beside her friend, "After briefly throwing away all my morals, I was reminded about what matters most to a fan of this game. Opening your heart, and cherishing what you have with your friends. So I'm sorry if my momentary lapse in judgement caused you - OOF!"

"IT'S MINE!" Weiss waddled away quickly after pushing Blake over and headed to the Bullheads to Beacon, "IT'S ALL MINE!"

Blake frowned, "Fine, whatever. Shit in on my feeling, see if I care."

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

"We're back."

"Guess what we got!"

"Your games?" Kiba and Tenten looked up as their teammates reentered with their prizes in hand, "You two were gone quite awhile. Was everything okay?"

"It was awesome!" Naruto grinned, "We made alliances! We blackmailed teachers! We cheated our way ahead and snuck past people who were probably waiting much longer than us!"

"In other words, normal big game release things." Sasuke added to ease their horrified looks.

"Well if you two are gonna play make sure not to stay up all night." They didn't seem to take Kiba's words into consideration, which irked the tattooed boy. He grumbled, "So who plays first?"

"Me."

The best friends turned to each other in silence.

Naruto chuckled, "Uh, I'm gonna be playing first. I called it."

"No you didn't." Sasuke glared, "I called dibs for this exact reason when we decided we were getting the game."

"I've been a fan longer than you have!"

"I'm a bigger fan. Do I have to point to the dyed hair again?"

The two best friends glared at each other in silence as the tension grew so heavy it could be cut with a knife. They dared not make a move...until Naruto lurched forward and jabbed Sasuke across the face. He pushed the Uchiha back and dashed for the game console.

Sasuke grabbed his collar before he could get too far and pulled him back into a sleeper hold. Naruto gagged and struggled against the hold as his vision started to blur. But the whiskered Faunus grit his teeth and yelled before kicking up his legs and turning, slipping out of Sasuke's lock. He landed and then kicked his leg out into the Uchiha's chest to knock him back.

"Hey!"

"What is wrong with you two?!"

Naruto and Sasuke slowly picked themselves up, never looking away from the other's glaring eyes. Slowly they drew their key-shaped weapons and lowered into their stances. The best friends narrowed their eyes before yelling and crossing blades.

"Seriously!" Kiba yelled over the constant crash of metal, "You're going too far!"

"Cam down you two!" Tenten tried to mediate, "Why don't we settle this with a more peaceful - AAAGH! BLOOD! BLOOD RIGHT IN MY OPEN EYE! OH GOD!"

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

"Almost there. Almost there. Almost there. Almost there." Jaune muttered to himself as he rushed for his dorm room. Once he was through the door, he slammed it behind him and slumped back against the wood. He reached into this bag and pulled out his copy, marveling at the game and holding it close. He took a deep whiff of it, "It's mine. It's all mi- oh hey guys."

"Jaune, there you are!" Nora and Ren came running up to their leader as he desperately hid what was in his hands behind his back, "We've been waiting for you!"

"W-Why, what's up?"

"We need to go."

Jaune blanked, "What?"

"Pyrrha and Gaara got into a fight in the city and caused some serious destruction! All the cops in Vale had to get together to stop them!"

"They tried contacting Ozpin and Goodwitch for help but they were preoccupied. Anyway, we need to go to the precinct to bail them out. It'll probably take a few hours so we were waiting...are you crying?"

Jaune sniffled, "It's not fair. It's not fair!"

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

The teachers smiled as they inserted their games and watched the screens start to load. Port whispered, "It's beautiful."

"Truly, the wait was worth it." Oobleck followed.

"You can watch us for now Ozpin," Glynda appealed to the man beside them, "That should count for something, right?"

"GMMMMMMM!" The man in the body cast mumbled through the coverings on his face, wiggling around and struggling in his confines, "GGGRRRHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"I'm glad you see it our way."

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

Mercury impatiently tapped his foot against he ground as he waited for Emerald to return. He stood on guard outside the room and dared not enter while Cinder was still in the middle of her process. A head of bright green hair walked into his peripheral after turning the corner. He pushed off the wall, "Package make it through?"

"Yeah, it reached her. Her followers or subordinates or whatever it is she has were the ones who answered. The one on the Scroll sounded seriously unhinged." The dark-skinned girl pocketed her Scroll before staring at the door to their room. She hesitated to look inside, "She's still in there?"

"Hasn't come out yet."

"I'm worried."

"She hasn't been in there that long."

"No I mean," Emerald's expression furrowed, "This can't be real right? Her love for this game or whatever has got to just be a ploy or something. Cinder is composed and brilliant and never lets herself be swayed by anything. There's no way any of this is actually real."

Mercury shrugged in understanding before opening the door and sliding it open slightly.

"~-me face, let me face, let me face my fears~!"

"How?!" Cinder wailed while blowing her nose into her tissue, "How do you face your fears? Tell me!"

Mercury slowly closed the door again while their leader bawled to the opening credits. He felt an unfamiliar pang of sympathy in his chest as he reached over and patted his crying partner on the shoulder.

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

It was an unnatural sight for the three men to see the deathly pale woman sitting in a chair across from the game screen. Their Queen made no outward reaction or response while she played the game, merely sitting in silence as she made the characters move and jump at her whim.

She turned her head to one side, inspecting the screen while the jewels hanging from her hair jangled. She turned her head in the other direction, repeating the movement as if she was trying to locate something on the screen. Once she had settled back in place she continued with her playthrough.

" **You know..."**

The three men stood at attention as they awaited whatever command or decision their leader came to.

" **Maybe destroying the world isn't totally necessary."**

They stared at Salem in shock as she showed a small smile and made her character jump with a giggle.

The scorpion Faunus pouted, "Well that's a fucking copout if I've ever seen one."

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

 _ **Done**_

 _ **So no here we are, on the cusp of the release. For some of us we have been anxiously waiting for some time after finally getting into the series. For others, like me, we've been waiting since we saw the message in a bottle with Mickey's mark on it after beating the original PS2 game.**_

 _ **My schedule is going to take a serious hit in the coming weeks while I play this game as much as possible. I'm going to have to get all my writing done at work! Work!**_

 _ **Anyway, I'm sure there are a lot of people that have been waiting to see this game finally come out, but I'm sure we know a few people hat never got to see this day come. Monty was an avid fan of both Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts, as he made pretty obvious in his original Dead Fantasy animations. He never got to see FFXV come out, and he didn't get to see Kingdom Hearts 3 come out either.**_

 _ **Let's play it and enjoy the fun not just for ourselves, but for the people that never saw it release.**_

 _ **This is the end of the constant Hunted releases. I'm going back to regular writing and my other stories now. Already working on them.**_

 _ **Hopefully they'll be out soon, but not soon enough because I'll be gaming for a little bit.**_

 _ **ReadxReview**_

 _ **Thank You and Bye**_


	7. The Fox and The Hood: Settling In

Hunted or Busted: A Side Story

Dusted 7: The Fox and The Hood: Settling In

Consider this the first AU of many possible ideas.

Most of these side stories will have serious drama, stakes, action, and my attempt at emotional weight to show what this world is like for the characters of the past.

Not this one. This will be nothing like the rest of it. Hopefully this will all just be for chuckles and giving a warm feeling on the inside.

For the sake of not making it depressing, and that I don't know how to utilize a future without revealing everything I have planned for the next few volumes, let's just assume that life was peaceful and normal after Volume 2 and we got this.

Ready...

Go!

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

"Food?"

"Got the box right here. You remembered to grab your game systems?"

"Absolutely! Oh, keycards!"

"Spares for days!"

The two young adults dropped the last of their boxes in the shared room of their apartment before sighing in relief. They looked around, "Is that it?"

"Yeah, I think that's it. We did it!"

Ruby and Naruto looked around at their new residence while trying to see what they had to work with. They stood together in the living room between two bedrooms, one for each of them. Each one had a bathroom with a toilet and a shower for them to use. Just adjacent to the living room was a small kitchen with a stove top, fridge, dishwasher, and sink. And lastly a washing machine for them to clean off their clothes.

This was their new apartment.

"Woo," Ruby wiped her head and plopped back down into the rough couch resting to the side of the wall. The young lady stretched her arms and sighed, "I can't believe we finally got here!"

"I know, right?" Naruto slumped down beside his new roommate and sighed in relief once he finally got off his feet. He was relieved to finally sit down and settle in as he closed his eyes, "Give it a sec and realize that there's still something we left behind and need to get."

"Don't joke about that." Ruby jabbed his arm in retaliation, "Moving in was stressful enough."

The young adults shared a quick laugh before forcing themselves up on their feet and making their way over to their boxes. They had to start unpacking, because everything they had was currently boxed up and they didn't feel like sleeping on bare mattresses.

The two had finally graduated, and had become what they had always wanted to be. Naruto was finally a Huntsman, and Ruby had fulfilled her dream of becoming a Huntress. They had celebrated for an entire week with their teams and friends to commemorate all their hard work and the long effort it took to finally reach this point.

But now that they had finally graduated, it was time for them to go out and do their jobs. Of course as much as they all loved each other, Beacon's Dirty Dozen couldn't stick around together forever.

Weiss decided that she was going to head back to Atlas. Get started on guiding the Schnee Dust Company and changing the entirety of the corporation from the inside out. It was going to be a long and arduous process...and one that would be difficult to take alone. So Blake had offered to join her and help strengthen relations with the Faunus. Oddly enough Sasuke also offered to join her and help with their cause however he could.

Some people definitely didn't let him live that down.

Tenten and Pyrrha returned to Mistral to see their families and make their proper debuts. They had started getting offers to join teams and organizations, but they were currently eyeballing the offer from a certain Hunter organization they had friends in.

Kiba had said goodbye to his family, taken Akamaru with him, and started traveling to help people wherever they were needed. Last they heard he was heading towards Vacuo, with Nora and Ren tagging along for the trip. They had friends in Shade to give them board and food, and they also wanted to congratulate a certain Faunus friend of theirs for his new job at the academy.

Which left Yang, Jaune, Naruto, and Ruby to stay in Vale. Yang was going to start off with her father, learning more of the ropes in the real world and getting a handle of what it meant to be a Huntress. Jaune would be starting off slow, building up some more skill and power in job offers in the city before he made his way out. He'd promise to meet up with the rest of his team again in a year, and he had a lot of work to do before then.

Which just left Ruby and Naruto. And to be honest...they didn't quite know what to do yet. Naruto didn't want to head off to Mistral just yet, though he did look forward to when he and his father could take a mission together as proper Huntsmen now. But he wanted to build up some experience as well, and get some Lien in his pockets, so he offered to take some missions up with Jaune as well before heading out to travel the world.

Ruby was going to take up a few missions with Qrow. She was eager to get right into it, but her uncle had thought that he should join her for her first few excursions for her own safety. It wasn't that he didn't trust her to handle it, but apparently he was concerned that she'd be too much of a goofball and take on dozens of jobs at once without any rest.

While Jaune retuned home and Yang went back to Patch, Naruto and Ruby felt the desire to branch away from their familiar surroundings. They wanted to start their lives as professionals and adults as quickly as they could, and decided to start off in Vale before moving out into the rest of Remnant. But finding places in Vale to stay in was proving scarce and difficult to pay for.

So when they found an available place, and it had two rooms and rent enough that they could split it, they immediately decided to take it. Now the 21-year old and the 19-year old newly minted Hunters were living in Vale, and were now roommates.

"Hey," Ruby spoke up as she started to unpack her towels, sheets, and toiletries, "Do you think we need to set up a schedule for when we do things and when we need to switch out?"

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked as he turned a box over and dumped out some of his clothes.

"Like when we should do our laundry or when we clean up or do the cooking?"

"Heh, you want to cook?"

"H-Hey, I just need a little practice is all! I can learn with time."

"Yeah, let's hope so. Although you might be one of those people who was just never meant to step behind an oven. They usually cause natural disasters when they try to make anything."

"Don't make fun of me."

"I'm not. That's a real thing. My dad is one of those people. He can't boil water without setting off the fire alarm."

"Uh-"

"I don't know how."

"Okay, so try to avoid being that bad. But what do you think about the schedule idea?"

"I think it sounds like a plan. We can hash it out tomorrow. But about dinner tonight..."

"Yes...tonight..."

The two new roommates looked at each other in silence.

"Pizza?"

"Read my mind."

They high fived before Ruby started rummaging through her things again. Her eyes widened in delight as she pulled out her game system, "Oh, wanna play some games?"

"Absolutely!" Naruto quickly abandoned his sorting and joined her on the couch as the system started booting up, "Whoever wins the first round gets to order the dessert!"

"It's cookies, right?!"

"I was in more of a mood for ice cream."

"Well it's a good thing I'm gonna whoop your butt anyway!"

"Bring it on!"

The night quickly devolved into the two new roommates playing game after game as the night dragged on, playing together or letting one take the wheel while the other watched and waited for their turn. Pizza was ordered, quickly devoured, and went well into the night just playing around.

So far all seemed perfect.

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

Ruby blinked as she felt a ray of sunshine enter the living room and hit her in the eye. The young lady grumbled her displeasure and tried to curl up into a ball to hide away from it. However the brightness refused to spare her, and the silver-eyed girl finally let out a sigh and tried to open her eyes.

She realized that she had fallen asleep on the couch while they had been playing games. Even Naruto seemed to have passed out because there was a spot on the floor with a pillow he probably used to sleep on. Ruby blinked as she sat up properly and yawned, still not fully awake and considering just falling back to sleep.

However even with her sleep-addled mind she realized that she had slept in her clothes the entire night. Which meant she was probably super stinky. But she was living on her own now which meant she didn't have to take a shower just because her sister or her dad or Weiss told her to.

She was going to take a shower because she wanted to!

Ruby lifted herself up with a near Herculean amount of effort and made her way into a room. She rubbed her eyes when she entered and closed the door behind her when she was inside. The girl with the red-tipped hair reached down to her side and fiddled with her skirt before she felt it drop to the ground by her feet.

She pulled off her shirt next, pulling it over her head and getting stuck for a moment before finally freeing herself. The sleepy young lady pulled her socks off next, feeling her toes settle into the comfort of the carpet. A yawn escaped her mouth as she pulled down her underwear and let them drop to her feet before she stepped out of them. Finally she reached back and struggled with her bra before she pulled that off as well, shivering as the cold air was quick to strike her and force her to cover herself.

She walked into the bathroom and was relieved to feel the steam and heat from the running shower envelop her. Without a second thought she walked into the shower and moaned happily as the hot droplets pelt her body. She ran her hand through her hair, feeling it get matted down and form around her head. Ruby sighed as she ran her hand down her body, feeling the water stick to every curve and inch of her form. It felt so good to have such a wonderful shower all to herself.

Hot showers were a gift from the gods for all their hard work.

...

But she just woke up so how did she have the shower started already?

"Um...Ruby?"

The red-tipped girl slowly opened her eyes to see a wide chest of muscles situated directly in front of her with some scars, a sheen of water over it before she blocked the droplets path. She slowly lifted her head to look up at the owner of the chest.

Naruto's eyes were focused to the side, daring to turn back to look at her before snapping away. His whiskered cheeks were red, probably from the heat but might have been for something else.

Ruby blinked before slowly looking back down. Was he using the shower? Did she walk in on him in the shower? Well he wasn't wearing a shirt, and there were some bubbles on his body from the soap and shampoo. But that could have meant anything. Her eyes lowered again to look down...

...

Oh wow...he was naked.

...

She looked even further down to see her bare breasts blocking her sight from looking directly over herself.

So was she.

Ruby's cheeks filled with heat as her eyes widened in horror. Steam seemed to radiate from her head, a stark difference between the hot water and the monumentally hotter state of her head and face. She and Naruto stood in silence, naked together as their bodies were rained down on by their shower.

"Is..." Ruby whimpered, "Is this the part where you hit me?"

Naruto blinked, "What?"

"I-In those shows, when the protagonist walks in on someone naked or showering, they get slapped across the face or punched out of the room. So is that what you're gonna do now?"

"But isn't that usually the girl hitting the guy?"

"Y-Yeah, but I'm the one that walked in on you. So-"

"Ruby?"

"Uh-huh?"

"Get out."

"Okay!"

She burst away in a blaze of speed and rose petals, causing the shower curtain to fly out before resting back down in place. Naruto sighed and palmed his face, mostly out of exhaustion but also because he had to feel just how red his face was.

There...there was no way those images were ever going to leave his brain. Ruby was older now then when they first met but he always considered her as a kid or a younger sister. But time changed everything and she was no different.

Ruby... had certainly grown over the years. She was larger in the...uh-hum. A-And curvy with the...y-yeah. Plus all that running made her legs...yep. And not to mention her bare...well...

The fox Faunus flinched as he felt the hot water pelt something sensitive and raw. He looked down and realized that something was standing in the way of the water now.

"Yeah...that figures."

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

 _ **Done**_

 _ **Well, here's to this crazy new idea. I hope I can make it as enjoyable as the concept was to think up.**_

 _ **One day I just thought about Ruby and Naruto as roommates and all of a sudden this story burst into my head. I think you'll really enjoy it as it goes along.**_

 _ **ReadxReview**_

 _ **Thank You and Bye**_


	8. The Forked Path: Slow Start

Hunted or Busted: A Side Story

Dusted 8: The Forked Path: Slow Start

Well here we go. Here's my attempt at constructing the shared life story of two characters that end up very different. Due to the fact that things need to change so drastically, at the moment this might be the longest short story I have planned. Which begs the question; at what point does a short story stop being a short story? Because to get through everything I have planned with their life is going to take some time. Now that I think about it...some of these stories are going to ask that question a lot.

Anyway, unlike the Minato story this won't be updated chapter after chapter. Because I should take some time to work on this properly. So instead get ready for some other prequel stories or some fun little AU ideas I came up with for shits and also giggles.

But here we go!

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

Two sets of footprints were left behind in the dirt and gravel as the figures dashed across the field. Their legs carried them as quickly as possible and making them just blurs that weaved and danced between the trees. The two teens upped their speed as they approached the drop and leapt off the cliff with incredible power.

The two dressed in black hoods flew off the side of the cliff and fell freely over the space. The city landscape completely filled their view as they entered freefall, the bright lights illuminating the dark night until it almost felt like day again. Gravity started to take place again and the two figures were pulled down to the smaller buildings directly below them.

They landed on a slanted roof together and balanced themselves as they slid down the tiles. They slowly built up speed before reaching the end of the roof, placing their feet on the gutters and leaping off in one movement to not lose any speed.

The two separated in their leap off the roof and started traveling over different paths. They kept up with each other as they moved, one running quickly along the roofs as the other expertly swung off poles and slid along the walls before finding the proper footing again.

The one running across the roofs gave a loud, bellowing laugh before yelling at the top of his lungs with joy. When he reached the end of the roof, instead of leaping to the next one he ran off the end and plummeted down towards the street. He summoned his Aura and reinforced his body for the landing, rolling with the impact and jumping back up on his feet before sprinting through the street.

He ran without a care in the world - running past the slow cars and the people trying to move along the sidewalk. When someone was moving too slow and it looked like they would collide, he spun around them on the ball of his foot and kept moving as fast as he could. He slid over the hoods of cars and dove over some trashcans before grabbing onto a fire escape and climbing his way back up. Behind him there were several people yelling and calling him out for disrupting their nightly strolls. A few of them realized what he was and decided to throw slurs and insults his way instead.

Their jeering quickly faded as he climbed away and started running again.

The other one continued to move swiftly by leaping off poles and sliding down beams and girders. While they moved they looked down at all the people moving through the streets below them. They walked around without a care for the world, except for the few people sporting ears and tails and scales. They had to walk on the sidewalk and avoided making eye contact with any humans that crossed their path. Even then the humans went out of their way to stand in their path and make them twist and avoid their touch.

And even then the odd human would intentionally knock into them and cause a scene. They'd start complaining and yelling and demanding an apology from the 'animal'. A spark of anger or rebellion flashed in their eyes for only an instant before either instinct or common sense settled back in and they reeled back that desire to stand up for themselves. The Faunus bowed their head and begged for forgiveness while the initiator chuckled and laughed to themselves. Probably reveling in the inflated sense of superiority they felt getting someone to beg them for forgiveness.

The hooded figure turned away from the infuriating sight and continued to traverse the skyline of the lower part of the city.

After some time of running the figure came to a stop atop a lamppost and surveyed the area. Some people below noticed them and looked up in confusion and amazement. The hooded figure looked around; trying to find their friend at the point their routes would cross. If they were lagging behind because of something important then that'd be understandable, but the best guess was-

"Hey, get down from there!" The hooded figure looked down to see a man stepping up from a group of onlookers who didn't seem too pleased seeing him up there. The man in front stepped up a little further and growled irritably, "Oi, didn't you hear me you filthy mongrel?! I said get off there right now!"

The hooded figure ignored them, even if they did feel irritated by what the obnoxious human was saying.

"Oh, don't think you can just ignore me. Show some gratitude you little ingrate." The man yelled, "You think you would show some thanks to the humans for giving you freaks the rights you barely deserve!"

That was enough to illicit a response from the hooded figure, although it wasn't a verbal one. He finally regarded the misguided people calling out below him. Hard eyes poked out from underneath the shadow of the hood, and they slowly stood up to glare down at them.

This simple act seemed to be enough to trigger whatever restraint the lead man had. He snarled, baring his teeth and looking around his feet. He spotted a loose bit of cement and picked it out before tossing it in his hand. He looked up and yelled, "Teach you not to look at people like that you arrogant little-"

He reeled back and tossed the rock up as hard as he could at the hooded figure.

But a second person in a hood came flying through and caught the rock before it could reach its target. And before they landed, the hooded figure turned in the air and spiked the piece of concrete back where it came from. The rock slammed into the ignorant man's nose with a sickening crack and sharp cry of pain.

The two didn't wait to see what happened next as they continued their speedy trek through the cityscape. After a few more minutes the two hooded figures traversed up a wall and stopped atop the roof of a building; their regular hangout spot when they were finished with their running.

"Whoo! I win!" The front boy exclaimed happily while throwing up his arms, "I can't believe I made it! I took a detour and I still beat you!"

"Why'd you even take a detour?"

"Duh. Snacks." The hooded figure finally pulled down his hood to reveal a head of spiky brown hair and a strong jawline. The youth had a joyful smile on his face as he reached into his pockets and pulled out two apples, "I thought we could use a sweet treat after our training so I stopped by and grabbed these." He paused and showed a sheepish smile, "I mean that literally by the way because I didn't pay for these. Catch."

The other hood's hand shot up on reflex and caught the apple when it came flying. They pulled down their hood and showed the spiky black hair underneath it, as well as the droopy eyes that that looked down at the snack he had been given and a chin with an x-shaped scar on it. He took a bite and his small round ears flickered atop his head, "I was wondering what was taking you so long. I thought you had gotten lost or something."

"Nope." The brunette sat back against a piece of piping on the roof and relaxed against cocky, proud youth shrugged, "I had actually wanted to let you win a race for once but you got held up."

"And you swooped in at the last second." The sterner looking boy said as he stood across from his friend, "I'm certain you shattered that man's nose."

"I absolutely destroyed it. No harm though."

"I could have handled it myself."

"I know you could. But I wanted to help my friend, and I tried to do just that."

The raven-haired boy frowned before biting his apple, "You have to let me try and fend for myself at some point."

"Hehe, I'm sure you'll get the chance." A comfortable silence settled between the two boys before a faint ringing was heard. The brunette held his apple in his mouth and reached into his pants pocket. He pulled out a clunky square object and looked down at it as its small screen started to show a message. He sighed, "Damn."

"Is there another meeting?"

"Even worse, he's calling us in by name. Wants us to be there to 'help' apparently." The brunette grumbled and pocketed his device away, "Not like it will be of any help."

"Don't give up hope yet."

"I never had it considering humans aren't exactly jumping at the bit to work together." The taller brunette walked over to his friend and bit into his apple once more before tossing it off the roof, "Guess we're heading to the White Fang base."

"Guess so." The weasel Faunus responded to his monkey best friend before tossing away his remaining core too. The two young men stood in silence before the raven-haired teen smirked, "Race you there?"

"You're on."

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

 _ **Done**_

 _ **As the name suggests - slow start. Not the most thrilling of beginnings, but give it some time to burn and we'll get something exciting. A lot of people were asking for this story, so I really hope I can reach your expectations.**_

 _ **ReadxReview**_

 _ **Thank You and Bye**_


	9. The Fox and The Hood: Growing Pains

Hunted or Busted: A Side Story

Dusted 9: The Fox and The Hood: Growing Pains

So I thought I should apologize for the last chapter I added to this story. I knew what I was writing and I thought from clues and descriptions I wrote about, as well as the fact that I had already said I was making a story about them that the last chapter's main characters would be very obvious.

It was only after releasing it and looking back that I realized that while I knew who these characters were, unless you were paying very close attention and looked up their features on a wiki, probably not gonna deduce who they were.

So yes, the Forked Path story is focused on Sarutobi and Danzō. And I'll make sure that's clear the next time I upload a chapter of that arc. But I thought we needed something to tide over until then...

So welcome back the two most awkward roommates in history.

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

"So...you and Ruby still adjusting to being roommates?"

"It's been over a month now. We see each other every day."

"..."

"Yeah, just a bit."

Jaune shrugged and sipped from his coffee as Naruto sighed and sagged into his hands. The two friends had decided to meet up in Vale and get some lunch before they started going back off on missions. It was a bit of a ritual of theirs that when they returned from missions they would check if the other one was free. And if they were both available then they set up a plan to meet up and see how the other was doing.

It was good for them to meet up like this to wind down from the stresses of their work life. Being Huntsmen was a more trying job then they anticipated. Helping people and making sure they were safe was fulfilling work, but constantly fighting Grimm could be very tiring. So moments of peace like this where they could unwind and relax were heaven sent.

They also took moments like this to talk about any problems they were having. Jaune had recently found out that Pyrrha and Tenten had taken a trip up to Argus to help a supply run make its way to the city, and while they were there they met a certain couple. All the color had left his face when he found out Saffron had invited them over to stay a night with her and Terra. The pictures they sent of them all hanging out and the thought of the stories that were being told about him were enough to leave him feeling sick.

Naruto on the other hand usually stayed on one topic when they met up together...

Ruby, and how hard it was to keep a comfortable friendly relationship with her after their...incident.

"You know when you still won't tell me what happened, it's extremely difficult for me to help you work through this problem." Jaune mentioned to his whiskered friend who just grumbled some obscenities into his coffee, "When you're this stubborn about even bringing it up, I can only assume the worst."

"Well it's probably not as bad as you're thinking..." Naruto said. He paused for a moment before drooping his head, "But still pretty bad."

"And since then you haven't been able to hang out again?"

"I've tried. God knows I've tried." To be fair there had been efforts on both sides to try and mend the - well not broken bridge but definitely awkwardly splintered one. They tried setting up movie nights or gaming days or even just hanging out in the city.

But it usually fell out because they couldn't look each other in the eye.

The problem was how the initial incident happened so casually and without any expectation...and then what happened afterwards.

When Naruto walked out of the shower, he was trying to dry himself off but realized that he was still feeling...kinda hot. Seeing Ruby up close and exposed like that was making it difficult for him to focus, especially with her surprising...growth over the years. But he took deep, soothing breaths, toweled himself off, let the blood work itself out of certain places, and tried to focus on other matters as he came back out into his room.

The first thing he noticed was the discarded clothing, bra, and underwear Ruby had slipped off and forgotten to pick up.

Getting dressed and doing his best not to look down or even pay attention to the offending articles, he picked them up in a pile and prepared for the agonizingly awkward process of returning them back to his roommate.

Who he found desperately searching through the boxes they had left out in the living room for some spare articles of clothing. Unfortunately what he was holding were the only clothes she had out of their packing so far. And she was trying to find some more clothes while dejectedly muttering to herself how embarrassing it would be if he came out and saw her naked like this.

Which he did. And he was especially ashamed because his eyes lingered down on the shapely butt she was waving around while searching through the box.

She finally stopped, turned around, realized he was watching her, realized again that turning around gave him another view of her exposed body, and ran into her room after snatching up her clothes.

Yeah...no coming back from that.

It was awful and painful to try and face each other after that morning. But if there was any solace it was that they both felt embarrassed by it, and were making sure no one knew about their incident.

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

"Still having a hard time facing him after flashing the goods?"

"Yang!"

"Am I wrong?"

Ruby ducked her head down, grousing under her breath while her face started to heat up from embarrassment. Why did she expect tact and discretion from Yang on this topic? At least she had the good sense to suggest they go for a walk outside the house so Taiyang or Qrow didn't hear them.

Still while she was hoping for an empathetic ear from her sister about her problems, all she got was uproarious laughter and her literally rolling on the floor while mocking her mistake. And despite how hard she tried to wrack her brain about this she couldn't come up with any other answer than it was totally her fault.

She wasn't a morning person, okay! She needed at least two hours after waking up to actually wake up! Sue her!

Unfortunately Naruto's first instance of dealing with that had to be the day she wandered into the shower with him. The memory of it was enough to make her cringe and hide her face in shame. But instead of solidarity, all her friends and teammates could do was laugh or shake their heads in disbelief.

What was the point in talking about this with her closest friends if they couldn't help her solve the problem!

Yang finally stopped laughing and wiped a tear from her eye before looking to her sister, "So he's still finding it pretty awkward around you too, right?"

"Yeah." Ruby admitted.

"Well maybe he's having a hard time forgetting how you look without clothes too."

"Come on! You're just making this worse!" Once again Ruby had to cover her face, but more in an effort to purge and block the terrible thoughts and ideas that came to mind. The very idea that he would be thinking about her naked was crazy, especially when there were other prettier, much more developed girls he probably met with. Was he still going after Blake? Or maybe he could do what everyone else did and just imagine her sister doing weird things to satiate their needs.

And as for her...well she did her best not to think about it. How she was surprised to see him completely nude while in the midst of his shower. The water still resting on his surprisingly built chest. She could find the rare scars he had gathered from his fight with the Uchiha, and despite herself she had felt the need to touch them. And of course down there was the-

"Ruby?"

"Bwala-huh?" The hooded girl came out of her daze to see Yang staring at her oddly. She blinked and shook her head, "Sorry, what were you saying?"

"That clearly this problem isn't just gonna solve itself anytime soon." The blonde admitted while Ruby hung her head in dejected acceptance, "You keep letting this problem fester and it would get so bad you probably wouldn't be able to share an apartment together for much longer. Now most times I think roommates would just repress this kind of experience and never bring it up, but you two are so awkward you can't not think about it when you see each other."

"Is there going to be a point to this where you help me?"

"I'm saying that what you two need to do is just spend more time together." Yang raised her hand to stop Ruby from making her inevitable argument, "I know that might be difficult right now but down the line you two won't be focusing so much on what happened and things will just go back to normal soon enough. It's better than the alternative, right?"

Ruby seemed to wrestle with the idea before letting out a tiny whine. Why couldn't she have just woken up properly?

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

In the living room of the apartment, Ruby was sitting across from the screen as she played her game. To those looking on it might have seemed like it was all she was thinking about, but if they noticed how her legs continued to jump and tap on the wood they would realize that she was just trying to distract herself until her roommate returned.

"You can do this. Just suggest he sit down and we can just play games. Or watch a movie." And they could sit close together, he wrapping his arm around her shoulders as she rested into his chest. Then as the movie went on they'd stop even listening and then look at each other. They'd lean in and in the veil of darkness start-

"Stop! Stop! Stop doing that!"

"D-Doing what?"

Ruby squeaked, jumping out of her seat and causing her controller to fly through the air as she scrambled in her seat. She looked over and saw Naruto standing by the entrance after coming back. The hooded girl relaxed back into her seat, "O-Oh, you're back?"

"Yeah, Jaune says hi by the way."

"Oh. Cool."

...

That damn silence again.

"I'm," Naruto pointed to his room, "Just gonna head in-"

"W-Wait!" Ruby called before he could vanish into his room. She shuffled around on the couch and faced him, "Hey, do you want to sit out here and play games with me? It's been a while since we last hanged out. Not since-"

The shower escapade.

Damn this tension!

"Are you sure?" Naruto questioned, "I mean aren't we-"

"That was totally a mistake! It didn't mean to happen! I'm sorry and I hope you'll forgive me!"

"No I'm sorry. I should have closed my eyes or something and when I went to give you back-"

"It's okay! Accidents and problems on both sides I guess." They remained silent for a moment before Ruby poked the side of the couch, "It was embarrassing what happened, but since then you and me haven't really even talked to each other. And I don't want that."

Naruto looked down with guilt before taking the seat beside her, "I don't either. I just didn't know how to talk to you after it happened."

"Well...we're talking now."

"Heh, I guess we are."

The two roommates shared a quick laugh, feeling the tension and unease that had settled between them over the last few weeks start to become bearable. Ruby shuffled in her spot, "I know it's not gonna just stop feeling uncomfortable between us, but you're pretty much my best friend. And I don't want anything in the world to ruin that."

Naruto looked at his roommate and her honest, earnest words she spoke from the heart. A slow smile started to spread as he nodded, "Yeah, me neither." He lazily shrugged his shoulders, "It's gonna be kinda weird...but I want my best friend back too."

A huge smile started to appear over Ruby's face. Silently cheering to herself for the win. She decided to quell those thoughts and nodded, "Cool. Super cool. So let's play! We never finished our tournament and we need to see who reigns supreme."

"Alright." Naruto chuckled before looking down, "Hey Ruby?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm gonna go away for awhile."

...

She paused and looked to her friend to see his serious expression. Her heart fell, "D-Did I do-"

"No no no! This doesn't have anything to do with you or what happened!" He quickly shook his head, "I've actually been planning this for months. I want to take a year to travel between the Kingdoms and do some Huntsman work where I can. It's something I always wanted to do and now that I can I thought I'd get an early start on it."

"A...a whole year?"

"Yeah." Naruto solemnly nodded, "I'll start making my way to Mistral before heading down to Menagerie. After that I'll head up to Atlas and meet up with Kiba in Vacuo. If I spend three months doing each one, I'll be back in about a year."

"O-Oh." Ruby muttered sadly. Her expression fell as her head lowered, "When are you leaving?"

"In a few months. I wanted to plan everything out and get ready before I leave."

"Right. Okay then."

"I've been meaning to tell you for a while but I haven't gotten the chance, what with how we haven't been able to talk."

"Yeah...y-yeah okay." Ruby slumped back into her seat as her brain started to run through what was happening. She and Naruto were going to try and fix the uneasiness that had formed between them since their accident, but now she also knew he was going to be off on his journey soon for an entire year. It was a good thing he was going to be doing, but the idea of having the apartment to herself for an entire year while he was away just left her feeling lonely.

He was going to be off doing Huntsman things and she'd be stuck here...doing Huntress things.

...

Wait...weren't they the same thing?

Ruby perked up in her seat and eyed her roommate carefully. She turned to him, "Hey," He looked at her and she felt very nervous about proceeding, "Would...would it be okay if I came with you?"

Naruto looked at her in surprise as she kept eye contact with him. Once he realized she wasn't kidding he sat up, "Are you serious? I mean this is a year long trip. We wouldn't be back for...a year."

"I-I know."

"I mean going out to each Kingdom to do work isn't gonna be easy. It's-"

"But you're still doing it, right?" Ruby jumped up in her seat and moved in towards him, making him clam up and lean back as she asserted her point, "That's a hard job for a long time! A-And It might take awhile but...but it'd be easier having someone watch your back, right?" She dropped back in her seat and looked up at him, "Can I please come with you?"

"You really want to come with me?"

"Absolutely."

Damn her and her adorable eyes. Naruto ran a hand through his hair and ears before sighing. He showed a faint smile that got her to beam with joy, "You better start getting ready for the trip."

"Awesome!" Ruby threw her hands up in joy, "We're gonna save Remnant!"

"Hehe." Naruto laughed as his roommate started to dance with joy, "You are being way more forward than usual."

"Yeah, Yang gave me some advice."

"Should have known it was your sister with how upfront this confrontation was."

"Well after seeing each other in the shower, she said we could either wait and let this uncomfortable feeling fester or we can meet it head on."

"Yeah, sounds like - wait, you told Yang about what happened?"

"Yeah." Ruby blinked, "Why?"

"Did you tell anyone else?"

"I-I might have."

"Who?"

"I'm scared to answer because now it seems like a really bad idea."

"What happened to not telling anyone about this?"

"When was that established?"

"In silent agreement when you snatched your clothes out of my hands while you were naked."

"Oh...see the problem with that was we didn't say anything and I didn't know that."

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

 _ **Done**_

 _ **Spontaneous life decisions made in the heat of the moment that will take up a year of your time.**_

 _ **What more proof do you need that this might be a little more than just embarrassment guiding her actions?**_

 _ **Anyway, next week I'll be updating one of the real stories. I just like keeping up with this one because I can literally write a chapter in a day and it's better to have something instead of long periods of time where I don't update anything.**_

 _ **Helps reassure people that I am still alive.**_

 _ **I'm working on a chapter of the main story right now, and I'm just making sure it's good because it's the real start to the last arc. Gotta make it worthwhile.**_

 _ **ReadxReview**_

 _ **Thank You and Bye**_


	10. The Night of the Living Blondes

Hunted or Busted: A Side Story

Dusted 10: The Night of the Living Blondes

Here's a fun stupid idea I decided to have. And where better to out it then the short series?

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

"So then I was like that and he was like that and she was all like what and I was just like totally."

"Hahaha, oh - that's like so funny! You are such a good storyteller!"

"Thanks bitch!"

Weiss rolled her eyes in irritation as Naruto and Yang continued their incessant babbling over nothing of importance. She dared not even look in their direction; otherwise she'd be assaulted with the sight of them basking in their flighty ignorance and flapping their golden hair around like crazy.

"Goodness," She said with a put-upon sigh, "How am I ever going to finish my extra credit essay if I have to actively ignore their useless jabbering~?"

"Hey baby, no reason to fret about your studies because I'm here to bother you." Jaune sat beside her and attempted to be as suave as he could. Unfortunately he still had the overflowing charm of a fish flopping helplessly out of water, "Now how about you abandon all that hard work and studying in order to become the proud woman you've been striven to be since you were a child and listen to me prattle on about some lady stuff I read in a magazine?"

"Back off you obliviousnbuffoon!" Jaune was quickly pushed back down into his seat as Sasuke came to her aide, "Can't you see the lady is trying to complete her studies and become an exemplary student and Huntress of her own merit. She does not need your irrelevant and frankly demeaning attempts to court her every single day." The blond frowned and sunk back as the raven-haired boy gallantly turned to her, "I hope he was not an inconvenience to you, milady."

Weiss graciously nodded, "I appreciate your help, but I hope you can understand that I didn't need your assistance to stop him."

"Oh of course not, but I consider it an honor to help you in any way."

Weiss hid her smile but hummed happily as she was finally able to work in peace. Her paper was almost done, she had someone to help at her side, and beside the annoyances their resident blondes were causing, everything was al-

"Hey guys! Sorry I'm late!"

Ruby came running over to join all her friends after staying behind to check up on her weapon. She quickly joined her sister and bandana-wearing friend in their conversation as she partook of a plate of cookies.

Weiss and the others stared in shock at the young leader's change in appearance. Blake gawked in surprise, "Uh, Ruby, are you okay?"

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"Because you - um - you're kind of - how do I-"

"You're hair! What happened to your hair?!"

Ruby blinked in confusion before lightly pulling on her golden locks. She let go and tilted her head, "What do you mean?"

"You're blonde!" Nora added in with disbelief. Weiss was glad to see she wasn't going crazy, or if she was it wasn't in solidarity. The ginger jumped in her seat, "What happened?! You were so adorable with your little bob of red and black! Now you're a trashy blond like Jaune and Yang!"

"Pfft," Ruby scoffed, "Guys, like, what are you even talking about? I've always been blonde, 'member?"

"No you weren't!" Tenten searched for her Scroll before pulling it out, "See, your pictures have you with..." The bun-haired girl paused and garnered a few worried looks at her expression. She slowly turned her Scroll around to show a picture taken after their initiation where they all gathered together in celebration.

Ruby had blonde hair in the picture.

Suddenly Ruby, Yang, Naruto, and Jaune all laughed at exactly the same time. A sense of unease and dread filled the students' stomachs as they tried to lean away from the blondes, "Now-"

"-come-"

"-on-"

"-guys-"

"-you-"

"-are-"

"-being-"

"-ridiculous!"

They all laughed in unison again before standing up perfectly synchronized and walking out of the cafeteria together.

...

"That...was terrifying."

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

Usually Weiss liked to keep her bed tidy and neat, and rarely did she ever like the idea of someone sitting on it other than her without her expressed permission.

However considering the situation they were witnessing, Weiss couldn't help but feel relieved that Blake was huddled up on her bed beside her. Hell she was almost tempted to wrap her arms around the bow-wearing girl so they could cower in fear together at the unknown.

But not really. She was scared and confused, but she was still Weiss Schnee, and she didn't cuddle up with others.

The black and white teammates got as far into the wall as they could and tried to push even further in as they stared at the two sisters that talked like nothing had changed. Yang was pointing to something on her Scroll, and Ruby made a funny comment while her now golden hair bounced on her head. And still neither of them found the sudden change in hair color all that worrying. They were young, and if they felt like changing their hairstyle or color to express their identities then that was totally natural.

What Weiss and Blake found disturbing was the fact they had seen their leader not 30-minutes earlier still sporting her natural hair color before they went to the cafeteria. And even if that could be explained with some very effective and fast acting hair dye, her sudden change in demeanor and personality was less explainable.

"But then I was like-"

"And he was totally-"

"And then she was like-"

"No no no, I was totally-"

"Can you believe that?"

"I know!"

"What's happening?" Blake whispered, terror and fear laden in her voice as she shivered by the heiress' side. The black-clad girl looked up at her with eyes strangely akin to those of a terrified kitten, "Can we reverse it? Can we go back in time?"

"How am I supposed to fix this problem without understanding how it happened? And of course we can't go back in time."

"Then should we put them down." Weiss eyed her roommate oddly as Blake shrugged, "I think it'd be the humane thing to do considering the alternative is living your life as a vapid blonde stereotype."

She could see some semblance of logic in that extreme reaction.

"Why don't we try talking to them first?" Weiss proposed as they looked over to their golden-haired roommates, "Try to get a handle on...whatever this is."

"Fine...but I'm going to the bathroom first."

"You're ditching me and making me do all the talking, aren't you?"

"I never said that."

"It's all in your actions."

The heiress frowned at the back of the black-haired girl as she retreated into the bathroom for safety. Being left to deal with her teammates, Weiss sighed before turning in her bed, "Ruby? Yang?"

"Uh - yeah?"

"What's up gal?"

She had to repress the shiver going up her back. It was like a nightmare seeing them devolve like this, "I was just wondering when this little...phase was going to pass?"

"What you mean phase?"

"Yeah hoe, this is for life."

Weiss was shocked by their tone and language, as well as the fact they were talking to her while their attention was still on their Scrolls. She fumed and glared at the girls, "Yang I'm not saying you should change your hair color, but this attitude you have now is just childish! And Ruby, stop being petulant and change your hair back before your roots get damaged!"

The two sisters paused in their texting, looked over at her, then at each other, before simply laughing. Ruby sat up, "Oh Weiss, there's nothing to be worried about. This is all natural."

"I'm not sure what you think that word means but it definitely isn't this."

"No she's right, everything's fine." Yang nodded as the girls smiled, "We're all good Weiss."

"No it's not!"

"Yes, it is." Ruby said, her voice becoming much lower and her expression becoming more sinister, "Weiss, I'm not sure if you knew this, but I've always been blonde. The dark hair I had before was just a simply a disguise I rolled myself into believing. A facade you might say, to simply mask the truth that lies just beneath the surface."

Weiss blinked, "I...I didn't know you could construct a sentence that eloquent."

"Oh there is much you do not know Weiss," Yang said with a certain edge to her voice, "For example, did you know that everyone on Remnant is actually supposed to be blonde? Over time they tired to hide that fact with dyes and sun bleaching, but all things are supposed to be golden." The heiress leaned back in fright, "Now now, there's no reason to be so worried. We're just going to fix everything and make it right, like it's supposed to be."

"Well you're not dying my hair if that's what you're suggesting!"

"Oh Weiss..."

The heiress blinked and looked over in shock. Blake came walking out of the bathroom, flipping her now bright yellow locks over her shoulder with her new yellow bow as she smiled, "There's no reason to resist. Don't you remember...blondes have the most fun."

...

"You know what," Weiss snapped up out of her bed and slowly snuck over to the door while keeping an eye on her roommates, "I've got to go check on _Myrtenaster_. I haven't done much upkeep on my sword in a while and that can't be expected of a Huntress like myself. So-"

"Oh Weiss," Ruby, Yang, and Blake stood beside each other as they eyed the heiress carefully, "Do you think there is anywhere left to go?" All three girls then pointed at her and let out such a ghastly wail that it sent a chill through every bone in her body.

Weiss opened and slammed the door behind her before they could get her. Her heart was beating in her chest before she ran to one of the neighboring doors. She pounded on it, "Pyrrha, open up! Something is seriously wrong with my team! Open up please!"

The door opened up and she felt a sense of relief, before she had to roll her eyes in exasperation when it was Jaune that answered the door. The blond leaned against the doorway, "Hey there Snow Angel, did you come over to visit?"

"I do not have time to deal with you! Where's Pyrrha?! I'm in desperate need of help from someone who is capable!"

"Hello Weiss. How can I help you?"

The proper girl looked on in horror as Pyrrha came over to her leader's side and drapped her arms around his chest, sporting her new yellow locks proudly. Weiss stepped back, "N-No-"

"Oh yes." Pyrrha nodded, "We're all changing for the better now."

"Yeah, come on Weiss!" Nora appeared at the door as well, bright yellow hair going down to her shoulders, "It's so much fun! Look even Ren likes it!"

Weiss looked further in and saw the green-clad boy standing in the middle of their room. His hair was yellow now too, however he looked almost traumatized as he looked up at her. His nose started bleeding, "Get out."

"Wha-"

"GET OUT!"

Weiss lurched back and ran down the hall, quickly following the message the boy was trying to get across. She sprinted down the hall as quickly as she could before she came upon two more blondes blocking her path.

Tenten and Kiba stared at her with blank eyes, "Come join the blonde side Weiss, forever and ever and ever."

"What is wrong with you?! Don't you see how wrong this all is?!"

The two looked between each other, a little more life returning to their eyes, before they shrugged, "Not really, it's just hair color."

"Yeah, we're still the same people. And we can just change back-"

"No you fools! You've become corrupted by the blonde hair!"

"That's right Princess," Naruto's mocking voice appeared behind her so quickly she could only flinch in horror. She looked up, seeing the whiskered boy smile as his blond hair appeared from under his bandana, "And it's time we got a handle on you too, don't you think?"

"No-"

"I wonder how it'll look when the SDC's heiress starts sporting gold. Oh I can't wait to see the fun-"

"HYAH!"

Sasuke came flying in and struck Naruto behind the head with a jumping kick. The whiskered blond went flying bodily through the hallway, Tenten and Kiba diving out of his path before the raven-haired boy landed. He turned around, showing his chest barely covered by his torn shirt before he offered his hand, "Come with me if you want to keep the ivory!"

She was silent. She just nodded and took his hand before she found herself being pulled away.

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

"Everyone just started gaining blond hair before we could realize it. Their hair changed. Their personalities changed as well. Whoever they were before they went blond, was forfeited to the things they've become now - except for Tenten and Kiba who seem pretty unfazed by the whole thing."

"What about you?"

"I escaped before I could be infected. I had to fight tooth and nail in order to escape."

"Did they tear your shirt off?"

Sasuke looked down, "Uh...sure?" They stared at each other for a moment, "Do you want me to put something on?"

"I didn't say that."

"Anyway, we need to warn people about this epidemic. The CCT should still be operational right now, so if we can get a message out to the other Kingdoms about what's happening maybe they'll be able to help us." Weiss and Sasuke peeked around the corner of the hall to see if there were any blonde zombies blocking their path, "If we hurry we just might make it."

"Then come on."

"Wait, Weiss." Sasuke grabbed her wrist before she could run off, pulling her close into his chest and looking down into her eyes. The heiress seemed startled by how quickly she was pulled in, and also trying to ignore that her hands were currently placed against his...well, they were firm, "There's something I need to say to you, and if there's a chance this doesn't work and we don't make it-"

"B-But we're wasting precious time to reach the CCT and get the message out by doing this." Weiss pointed out, "Not that I don't appreciate what's happening, but-"

"Hey don't point out the little things." Sasuke petulantly stated before his roguish charm returned, "I just wanted to say that I admire how great you are and everything you do-"

"Should we be saying this out loud? What if everyone-"

"Can I please finish? I feel like I should be able to finish."

"But you're doing this now, in the open, loud enough for others to hear. The blondes are actually making their way over to us as we speak!"

"Well I just wanted to make my anguished declaration of love before I inevitably die sacrificing myself!"

"Why is that already predetermined?!"

"Weiss, do you know what the final girl is?"

"N-No."

"Well it should be obvious by the name that I'm not the one making it to the end of this thing."

"Well that's a bit pessimistic - Sasuke!"

Two hands settled on the teen's shoulders and pulled him away from Weiss. Sasuke looked up in horror at the two teachers that had such a tight hold on him.

"Now Mr. Uchiha there is no reason to resist. You should simply surrender and allow this to happen." Doctor Oobleck said in a tone and speed to match his usual rapid speech pattern. The only noticeable difference was the ridiculous mess of hair on his head was a striking yellow shade instead of its usual green.

"He's right my boy, just give in! It's quite exhilarating to have hair this shiny and filled with luster again!" Professor Port said, his hair and mustache now golden as well and seeming all the happier for the change, "In fact I haven't felt this alive since I was a younger lad, juggling the duties of being a prolific Huntsman and also a virile young lover. I rember once after I returned from a bountiful hunt that I came across a group of young ladies looking for quite a roaring good time-"

"Run Weiss! RUUUUUUUNNNNNNN!"

The heiress sprinted off, sadly abandoning the Uchiha to his fate as he screamed in agony. She was too afraid to look back to see if it was because he was being turned or if Port was still telling his story. Honestly she didn't know which one was worse for him.

The apparent sole survivor of Beacon ran through the academy as quickly as she could while avoiding the blonde zombies that tried to get in her path. Cardin and his group of little minions. The rabbit Faunus and her team of upperclassmen. She had to reach the CCT before it was too late.

Weiss made her way up the tower and reached the communication den before running to one of the consoles. She tried to turn it on but the screens refused to light up, "Come on! Why isn't this working?!"

"Because we already planned for someone to make their way up here, Ms. Schnee."

Weiss looked up to find two familiar figures walking out of the shadows. Well, one walked, while the other crawled along the ground like a subservient animal. Glynda stood proudly, an evil and vicious expression on her face as she snickered to herself. And Ozpin crawled up to her side, head hung in shame with his newly dyed hair covering his face. The teacher laughed, "Yes, it was I who was the mastermind behind all of this, Ms. Schnee! Hahahahaha!"

The young student wasn't sure where to focus her attention. Hesitantly she silently pointed at Ozpin's current position and tilted her head-

"Catharsis." Glynda answered the question she was going to ask, "Years of paperwork, taking care of students, molding minds, administrating punishments, making Beacon run like a well-oiled machine, and he sits back in that phallic looking chair sipping from his mug. I make a move to takeover the world and I'm going to let him sit back and bask in the glory? I don't think so."

"You turned everyone blonde and are going to take over the world...just to spite Ozpin?"

"No, spiting him is just an ancillary benefit to the plan." Glynda smiled dangerously, gripping her riding crop in glee as she chuckled through her teeth, "The purpose of this plan was complete and total world domination. I make everyone blonde, and they shall obey my whim. Then I shall spread that influence across all of Remnant, taking control of every Kingdom, and I...will be the Empress of this new world!"

...

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you want to control the world?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes!" Weiss cried, "And for that matter how in the world did you turn everyone in the school into a blonde?! Any why?! And why did most of their personalities change based on a simple physical change?! And why do you want to rule Remnant?! And now of all times?!"

"Seriously, why does any of that matter?"

"It all matters! Otherwise this is just a contrived, pointless plot that came out of nowhere! What's your motivation?! What's your plan?!" Weiss nearly pulled her hair out in frustration, "What's the point in any of this?! It doesn't make any sense!"

"Oh, Ms. Schnee, you should no better than to cause such a ruckus."

The elevators behind her dinged and the doors slid open to reveal the people packed inside them. Weiss paled in horror, slowing stepping backwards as they started to make their way out.

"You'll draw too much attention to yourself."

"No." Weiss tried to run but found her arms grabbed before she could escape, "No!" Yang and Blake held her in place as she struggled against their grip. She was surrounded and had nowhere left to go, "NOOOOOOOOO-"

Ruby came up from behind her and bit her neck.

"-OWWW! RUBY!"

"Ruby, that's not how we do this."

"Yeah, we change her by dyeing her hair. There's no biting necessary."

"Oh, right." The young Huntress laughed nervously, "Sorry I really got caught up in the moment." She pulled out some hair dye and some foil for her hair and started to the process.

"NO! NO! MY ROOTS! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-"

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

"NOOOOOO!"

"AGH!"

"W-WHAT?!"

"WHAT HAPPENED?!"

The girls of Team RWBY woke up in a start after their teammate suddenly started screaming in her sleep. The girls blinked in shock and tried to look around to comprehend what had happened before they looked to Weiss. The heiress was sitting up in her bed, clutching her covers tightly as her chest heaved and her cheeks were covered in sweat from her nightmare.

"Weiss, you okay?" Blake rubbed her eyes.

"Why scream?" Ruby dropped back into her pillow, "I was having the best sleep ever."

"Wow, you don't ever see Weiss having nightmares." Yang noted with a chuckle as she yawned and stretched her arms, "What's wrong princess? Did you see something scary or...Weiss?"

"Cleansed." The Schnee heiress whispered, an electric razor in her hand as her frantic eyes looked up at Yang's hair, "You must be cleansed of your evil."

"W-Weiss, put down the razor before you-"

"I will free you!"

The white blur attacked the yellow boxer and they tussled on her bed before falling over onto the floor. Ruby and Blake stared on in silence as their teammates battled and fought each other for victory. Weiss continued to babble like a mad woman as Yang cursed and fought back with eyes burning red.

Ruby scratched her cheek meekly, "Um, you don't think this has something to do with that B-Movie horror marathon I made her watch with me last night, do you?"

"You won't become a mindless blonde bimbo zombie on my watch!"

"Who you calling bimbo?!"

Blake nodded, "Yep."

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

 _ **Done**_

 _ **Little background for this. Originally I wanted to make more dream chapters in conjecture with the Ruby dream chapter from the main series, but after a while I decided against it. So instead I thought I might add them to this story instead.**_

 _ **I want to do one for Blake and Yang too. Blake I already have an idea, and I find it really funny, but I'm blanking on Yang. If you have any fun ideas, don't be afraid to offer them.**_

 _ **ReadxReview**_

 _ **Thank You and Bye**_


	11. The Fox and The Hood: Period of Rest

Hunted or Busted: A Side Story

Dusted 11: The Fox and The Hood: Period of Rest

We have a date! November, which means I still got some time to release the rest of Volume 3 in the main story. At the pace I'm going I doubt I'll do it before, but hopefully I can finish it while Volume 7 is ongoing. Expect an update on the main story next week.

All I know is that I love those outfits and short-haired Blake has given me life.

On another note, I'm still deciding on whether to continue the story after Volume 3, or make a new one starting from Volume 4. If anyone has a preference or any ideas, please do not hesitate to speak up.

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

He couldn't quite remember the last time he had felt so tired and achy. The benefit of an Aura manipulation Semblance was that even when he wasn't activating his Aura, it would subconsciously start acting to fix what was wrong. If he had cuts or bruises or strained muscles, his Aura would do whatever it could to patch him up. It wasn't a miracle worker – missing limbs or gallons of blood didn't regenerate out of nothing – but he was usually the first to get back up on his feet after everyone else would tire out.

Which probably spoke volumes about the fight he and the others just came out of, because even though his Aura was still going to work he had woken up on this relief bed with his body screaming in pain.

Taking a slow and deep breath while ignoring the sting that came from doing so, Naruto lifted himself up to look around the tent he had been carried to after the relief effort had started. It was filled almost past occupancy level with Huntsmen and Huntresses that had taken injuries or fallen during the raid border. There were beds filled with groaning individuals, people resting from their injuries, and the unfortunate bed covered completely with a sheet and a body under it.

There was a wave of Grimm coming to attack a village in Vacuo. Whether it was because of some hidden animosity or because they had been forced out of wherever they originally came from a massive horde of Grimm came charging a place that couldn't defend itself. So a call went out to any capable Hunters in the area that could stand up and protect it from destruction.

The horde had been worse than any of them imagined. Grimm of every size and race came rushing in with barely any pause. Combined with the evacuation efforts, keeping the line, and forcing them back the entire mission had taken a full 24 hours of fighting. And in that time lives were lost and they had come very close to failing.

Naruto lifted himself up but found his legs feeling stiff and unmoving. For a second panic rushed through his system as he thought that he had sustained an injury or lost a limb in the fight. But he calmed down and chuckled when he saw his knee was just being weighed down.

Ruby had rested her head down on his leg after falling asleep by his side for who knows how many hours. Even with some light movement she didn't stir awake from her deep slumber. Only mumbling and comfortably moving herself to better rest on his leg.

They had nearly finished their year-long trip around Remnant, just like they had promised. Over one year ago they had come to the agreement to travel out of Vale together and go see the world. With a farewell dinner hosted by Ruby's family, they made their way out of Vale and Solaris altogether.

Jaune had joined them on their initial trek to Anima. The trio of former leaders had a great time making their way through the largest landmass on Remnant together. They stopped in every village and settlement along the way and helped whenever help was needed. But their first major stop was in Argus.

There they met up with Tenten and Pyrrha, who had settled down in Argus together as part of the city's protection force. They shared a nice complex together close to Jaune's sister Saffron. In the time they'd been away the two had found a comfortable life in the northern settlement. Tenten found someone she truly loved and Pyrrha was getting the chance to finally live out her dream of being a Huntress. When they arrived in Argus they invited them to stay in their complex for as long as they were visiting.

That was a mistake.

Pyrrha...had been very happy to see Jaune. She asked him out on a date the moment she saw him, and Jaune agreed to it with a face as red as Ruby's hood. They spent the day together and came back happy and brimming with joy. And then...

Well, it was hard to sleep that night with four ears.

From the fact Ruby and Tenten didn't sleep either, it wasn't any easier for just two-eared people to block out the sounds.

Naruto and Ruby continued their trip while Jaune stayed behind to...indulge? That seemed like an appropriate term. Anyway, they made their way down to Mistral and stayed with Minato for a time. They worked alongside Skyggen for a few missions, gaining some good experience, and then decided to make their way out.

The next stop was Menagerie, after getting a call from an old friend. Taking a boat and after a few quiet days out on the water they finally reached the island nation of Faunus. It was a bit of an awkward affair at first, Ruby feeling uncomfortable in a land where Faunus were forced to live after the war.

But they had been called to help with the new project: The SDC Further Homing Project. With some agreements between the respected new CEO of the SDC and the chieftain of Menagerie, a new effort was being made to increase the living space of Menagerie so the people on it had more room to live on.

It was quite a relief to come there and find Blake, Sasuke, and Weiss all there to greet them. There was quite a lot of work to do, but there was also a lot of fun and reminiscing to be had with their friends again after all their time apart. A few Faunus were wary of having humans on their haven, and some of the workers were a little reluctant, but after a time things started to settle and become comfortable.

Sasuke offered training lessons to the citizens who were interested in learning. When they had showed such great interest in learning how to train and become proper fighters, an idea was passed around for the Uchiha to open a gym or dojo to help train Faunus.

Blake's father showed great interest in seeing it come to fruition.

When Naruto walked outside one night, it was to find Blake standing out on the balcony and looking out at the homes and space they had reclaimed. They had a long talk about how this was a small but firm step forward in the change they had wanted for so long. Humans and Faunus working together, making amends, and even clearing the Schnee and Uchiha names of their former shame. She didn't want to admit she was crying, but it was hard not to notice the tear that came down while she smiled.

After that they made their way up to Solidas and explored the Kingdom of Atlas. It was cold! So goddamn cold! He and Ruby had to walk around in several layers and the puffiest jackets they had ever worn. Even then there was a cold that permeated through into their bones. It was just too much for these warm-blooded children to suffer through.

But Blake and Sasuke had adapted to it well, and Weiss was made for the cold. She powered through it without hesitation, and wielded the power and influence expected of someone who was in charge of the largest energy company in the world.

When in Atlas it was two very different experiences they had lived through. One was in the city. Atlas was a stunning and brilliant landscape worthy of its title of most advanced Kingdom in the world.

And then there was the land underneath it. The people in the shadow of the City of Atlas were bitter and angry. They didn't quite like being in the overcast of the wealthy and powerful.

They had done a lot of work in Atlas, but by the end it felt like they hadn't done enough to change things like in Menagerie.

And after the coldest place in Remnant, they traveled to the hottest place next. The wasteland of Vacuo was their last stop on their worldwide voyage, and what a harsh landscape it was. Sun bearing down on you, and shifting sands as far as the eye could see. Going unprepared to this place would kill most people.

Thankfully his partner and their friends were there to greet them. Kiba, Nora, and Ren had settled down in the desert rather well, changing out of their former attire and sporting more appropriate wear for the harsh climate. They had really acclimated to the new lifestyle, and it had accepted them in kind.

The rule of Vacuo was that if you could survive, you were welcome. And damn if those three couldn't survive the worst of things.

Plus Gaara had been accepted to study as a teacher at Shade, and there was even rumors that he could succeed as Headmaster after Professor Theodore if he kept helping others. So as a celebration they went out partying and drinking.

In fact that was a lot of their nights here. It was easier to count the times he was buzzed or hungover after the night before from all the partying. And he also had the pleasure of seeing what a drunk Ruby had looked like. It was simultaneously the funniest and cutest thing he had ever witnessed all rolled up into one tiny, red-faced mess.

It was the biggest relief during their year-long trip...until now.

"You're awake!"

"Thank god!"

Naruto looked up and saw Kiba and Nora come running over to his bed. They were wrapped in bandages, with a gauze covering most of Kiba's cheek and a wrapping over one of Nora's eyes. He sat up, "How long was I out?"

"Better part of a day." His former partner said as he sighed with relief and sat down on his bed as well, "You kinda passed out after the last of the Grimm were exterminated. After that we checked you over and let you rest over here."

"Thirsty?" Nora offered him a small cup of water and Naruto greedily gulped it up. It was only then when he was drinking it down did he realize just how parched he was. She smiled and knelt down by the bed, beside Ruby, "It was really close there at the end."

"Yeah." Naruto didn't realize how hoarse his voice was until he had got some water down it. After clearing it out he looked at his shorter friend, "How's your eye?"

"Oh, I just got knocked around a little. No permanent damage." Nora grinned and flexed her muscles, "I'll be right as rain in a few days. Ren was really worried that I might have to wear an eyepatch for the rest of my life."

"Bet he'd be worried his pirate girlfriend would make a scene everywhere she went." She jabbed Kiba in the arm and the bearded fighter took it in stride. Once they had calm down the older Hunters looked down at their sleeping friend, "Things were looking dicey there near the end."

"Yeah," Nora nodded before she gently patted Ruby's hair, "This would have turned out a lot different if she hadn't saved us."

They had held back the Grimm horde valiantly for hours, but had started to reach the end of their rope when Deathstalkers, Ziraphs, Jackalopes, and Nevermores started charging in. Even with all the Hunters joining together to fight – even with two Noble Guards to fight them off – this had become a war of attrition. And only one side was filled with monsters that were willing to throw their lives away without hesitation. Their supplies were running thin and people were falling left and right. The evacuation was taking too long and the Grimm were advancing without pause.

Naruto took a stand, summoning his Aura around his limbs and preparing to hold off the oncoming wave. Kiba came to join his side, joking that he was always saddled with his idiot partner even till the end. Then Nora and Ren and Gaara and Lee stood by their side and did what they could to save the people they had sworn to protect.

No one wanted to say it was their last stand, but in that moment it truly felt like it was going to end.

And it did…just not how they expected.

A light as bright as the sun shined out from behind them and covered the entire area in its protective glow. When it faded away the Grimm that had been charging were either reduced to stone, blind, or already dead. No one knew what had happened, and when they looked back they were left even more confused.

The glow faded from Ruby's silver eyes before she toppled over and passed out. Naruto panicked and ran back to check on her, completely forgetting the fight and sliding to her side without hesitation. He picked her up and checked her over, letting out a sigh of relief when he noticed that she was just unconscious and not injured by whatever she had done. Ordering some other Huntsmen to watch over her and keep her safe, Naruto drew out his weapon and turned back to what remained of the sea of monsters.

She had saved them from destruction, and he was going to clean up the last dredges before they could make her effort useless.

"You passed out after wiping out the last of the Grimm hanging around outside the village." Nora spoke up and looked down at the dozing Ruby, "Then she woke up at some point, she panicked thinking something had happened to you, and when we pointed you out she came running over here and refused to leave your side. It was actually really cute."

"What the hell was that anyway?" Kiba questioned, "How did she make her eyes do that anyway? I mean after the last time she did it we thought it would come in handy but she couldn't figure out how to make it work. Who knew her epic Grimm-killing eyes would come in and save our asses again, huh?"

"I don't think she knows either." Naruto looked down at Ruby as she napped peacefully. He smiled and relaxed, feeling the pain and fatigue in his body wash away for a moment when he saw his friend and partner okay after the scare in the middle of the battlefield, "But I'm not complaining as long as she's okay."

"She's our hero." Nora said with a smile and giggle. She looked out over the tent and then nudged Kiba's shoulder, "Come on, we have to help Ren sort out all the civilians and clear everything out."

"Ugh, I think I'd rather have my cuts flare up." With a heavy groan Kiba lifted himself up and Nora ushered him to follow her. But the tattooed man didn't move before smirking and flicking Ruby's nose. The redhead stirred from her sleep and Kiba waved Naruto goodbye with a smirk as she lifted herself up.

"Uwah?" Ruby mumbled, her eyes still heavy and barely cognizant of what was around her. After a moment some clarity came to them, and as soon as she realized where she was she realized who was in her line of sight, "Naruto!" She leapt on him and hugged him tightly without pause, causing him to flinch but taking it in stride as he knew how relieved she must have been to see him, "I was so worried! You weren't awake when I woke up a-and I thought-"

"I'm okay." He hugged her back and whispered to assure her he was fine. His partner pulled back and looked on the edge of tears with a smile on her face. She wiped her eyes before she sat back down on the edge of his bed, "You saved us all by destroying all those Grimm."

"Y-Yeah, Ren told me about that earlier. I don't know what exactly happened, but everything flashed in my eyes before I just felt so tired. I still do actually." She rubbed her head before looking back at him, "I was just so scared when I saw all those Grimm and thought about what they'd do. About the people who'd lose their lives. About what happened if...if you-"

"Hey," She looked up when she felt her shoulder being squeezed and saw Naruto's warm smile, "We're alive because of you. So many people are here because of you. You saved us Ruby."

She looked at him with watery eyes, but smiled and nodded as she wiped them clean. Naruto leaned in and they shared a hug again that left them both relieved that they had come through this ordeal alive.

"Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"It's your dream, and I kinda forced myself in on it, but do you think we've traveled the world and helped enough now?" Ruby pulled back and smiled sadly, "Because I kinda miss our apartment."

Naruto chuckled, "Me too. But you know it's gonna be all dusty and messed up from a year without cleaning."

"I asked Yang and my dad to keep up with the maintenance."

"Do they seem like the type to actually clean it?"

"Dad does. Yang...not so much."

"Heh, I think we can find a Bullhead that's willing to take us a part of the way there. But for now, let's just rest up." There was a soft grumble from Naruto's stomach that reminded him he hadn't had anything in over a day.

Ruby stood up, "I'll go get us something to eat."

"I don't even know if I can stomach anything right now."

"You will." Ruby pouted and pointed at him sternly, "I'll get some food and you'll eat it, got it? The faster you heal up, the faster we can go home. I'll be right back."

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

Stepping out into the relief zone, Ruby started to look around for a place that handed out rations or meals. There were a lot of people and they all needed to be fed, so she doubted there would be much to eat or even that it would be that edible. But she wanted to make sure he had a full belly and he could recover faster.

Looking around with a little more urgency, she spotted Ren and Nora being handed over some trays of food. She ran over, "Guys!"

"Hey Ruby!"

"I'm glad to see you awake again." Ren nodded as she came over and looked down at their trays, "Getting some nourishment? I'm sure you must be starving."

"Yeah, my belly's rumbling pretty bad. And Naruto's is too." She stepped up to the tent and was handing two trays. The people behind the table gave her a quick thanks for her help and she laughed nervously before stepping back to her friends, "I'm hoping that he heals up soon so we can head back home. Oh, u-unless you still need us to help around, because then-"

"It's alright, we have it handled. Gaara is already sending out monitors to make sure no more hordes like this threaten to attack any more villages." Ren smiled as she sighed in relief, "You can head home if you like."

"Yeah, don't let us stop ya." Nora grinned, "I'm sure you must be dying to head back home together."

"Yeah!" It was after a moment that Ruby interpreted what that could have sounded like and shook her head, "W-Wait I didn't mean it like that. We just have a place together but we don't-"

"Ruby," Nora interrupted, her older friend smiling as she slipped her fingers between Ren's and squeezed his hand, "I get wanting to go back home together. It's where you feel safe and sound. So you two get better and head back, okay?"

"We'll see you later."

Ruby was left silent as her friends walked away, hands still intertwined. The silver-eyed girl looked down at the trays in her hand as she thought to herself. It wasn't like that. That was silly. Naruto was her closest friend but that was it. They shared an apartment together out of convenience.

For goodness sake they could barely look at each other for the first few months after that whole naked debacle.

But after they had started their trip, that unfortunate incident started to seem less and less pressing. She and Naruto had traveled all over the world together. They'd fought in Mistral, helped in Menagerie, traveled all the way to Atlas, and then stopped a wave of Grimm here in Vacuo.

They trusted each other with their lives. They had spent so much time together that the incident when they moved in was now just an embarrassing moment in their friendship. After everything that happened he was her best friend. But that didn't mean...

...

When her eyes flashed, she thought about all the awful things that would happen to everyone if those Grimm were let through.

Of course she thought about the civilians.

Of course she thought about the other Huntsmen and Huntresses.

And of course she thought about the rest of her friends.

But the first thing that came to her mind when she saw those Grimm charge their way...

Was that she didn't want to lose Naruto. For anything.

...

Ruby's face started to heat up as she looked back and spotted Naruto in the tent. He had sat up from his bed and was sitting in the edge stretching out his legs. Looking up he spotted her standing there and waved her over.

Her heartbeat quickened as she gulped in shock, "Oh no."

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

 _ **Done**_

 _ **Took a whole year but Ruby has finally realized that the warm and fuzzy feeling Naruto is leaving in her gut isn't just friendship and fondness. No she might actually want him to leave a warm...fuzzy...**_

 _ **Ewww...**_

 _ **Anyhow, I need to get back to the square one and keep writing as much as I can. I'm halfway through the update month and I still gotta work on the last gift of July. Wish me luck, and I hope you enjoyed the turn for Naruto and Ruby's little story.**_

 _ **ReadxReview**_

 _ **Thank You and Bye**_


	12. The Forked Path: Standing Up

Hunted or Busted: A Side Story

Dusted: The Forked Path: Standing Up

Been a while, but I'm back! I have had a goddamn week and really hoping it'll pass after the next one. Work has left me absolutely swamped and while it's a place I can usually keep in control and write when I get some free time, the last few weeks have just been fucking hectic! It's taken me a month to write the new Hunting or Bust! That's the story I have the easiest time with writing and constructing on page, and I just couldn't get through it at all!

Every few minutes someone comes back to me with 'Hey I know you just finished making all these payments and the person we need to approve them is off enjoying a beach vacation, but can you put this through, make a payment, send it overnight and keep me updated on every moment possible?'

'I-I can't. I can't make that happen while my boss is away.'

'Oh cool, cool, cool - but you can make the payment right now, right?'

'Did I go mute for a few seconds? Did you not hear-'

'Also there's a line of people here that want to make the exact same request. Also where are these papers? And when are you going to get back to us with that super important sheet of receipts no one in the company seems to understand needs to get passed through?'

Fuck. My. Life.

Sorry, I hate ranting about work - especially to you nice people. But I need to get it out, and it's either this or me screaming like a banshee in my car as I lose my mind. And this doesn't have anything to do with me controlling over a ton of metal at a speed limit while I lose my mind.

Anyway, on with the show.

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

"Hiruzen." The shorter black-haired young man spoke up as he and his friend walked through the street towards a particular bar they frequented. Danzō looked at the back of his more confident friend as he proudly strode forward without any concern for the looks they got, "Didn't we get a message to come in and sit on the meeting?"

"Yes Danzō, yes we did."

"But we're going to the bar instead?" The scarred Faunus knew just by his friend's tone that this was going to come back and bite them somehow, "You know he isn't going to be very happy when he finds out we came late to the meeting just to grab a drink."

Hiruzen shrugged unapologetically, "Yeah well if anyone thinks I'm gonna attend that dour and depressing little party without at least being drunk enough that an entire day blurs out with a single blink, then they are crazy." The monkey Faunus snickered and looked back at his skeptical friend, "Oh come on, just a quick trip to the pub and then we'll go to the meeting. They won't even notice we're not there."

"He asked for us to come. And we won't be there." Danzō pointed out, "He'll absolutely notice, and he'll be livid with you."

"You mean us."

"No, just you. If he's angry and comes to us, I'm throwing you under the bus."

"Ugh, fine, whatever you baby." The monkey Faunus rolled his eyes at his friend's reluctance, "If it really matters to him at all then he'll come down here and get us." The duo stepped into the hole in the wall bar they had come to frequent over their time here in the city. Hiruzen and Danzō pulled out some chairs at the counter and waved to the barkeep, "Two beers please."

It was rare to find an establishment that regularly served Faunus. Outside of places that were owned by a Faunus, most anywhere didn't allow their kind inside. There was still deep resentment and prejudice between the races even after the war and the revolution had ended years ago. Tensions were high and people were seeing just how far they were willing to push each other before things escalated.

This was one of the few places in the city that allowed humans and Faunus to drink. And not because it was peaceful or progressive or anything, but just because the owner saw the profitable chances in serving as many miserable people as possible some overpriced booze. The owner also fought alongside some Faunus when he was a solider, but he denies that that had anything to do with his business choices.

Two beers were placed before them and Hiruzen and Danzō clinked them together. The weasel just took a small sip as the monkey downed half of the beverage down in one gulp. He dropped his bottle on the counter and let out a painful burp before shaking his head, "I mean I don't even know why we go to those meeting. I don't even know why we're a part of the White Fang."

"The White Fang is trying to amend relationships with humans by peaceful protest."

"Yes they are...everywhere else." Hiruzen swung his arm around before looking at his best friend and pointing down, "But here? Here we have to deal with meetings, and inventory, and taking calls, and those freakin' weekly discussions we're forced to sit through."

"We're...helping establish a proper place for the White Fang to congregate from."

Hiruzen sighed, "Buddy, you don't even sound convinced by what you're saying."

Danzō grumbled and ran a hand through his spiky hair. He shrugged, "Fine, I admit it is boring and tedious. So what do you want to do? Should we just quit?"

Hiruzen clicked his tongue and leaned back in his chair, "I don't know. I hate not doing anything but quitting before we have the chance to just doesn't seem right." The young man rubbed his head, "Ugh, this is giving me a headache!"

"HEY! YOU FILTHY LITTLE SHITS!"

"Oh great, and this is probably about to make it worse." Hiruzen and Danzō turned in their seats to see the source of the commotion. A group of men stormed into the bar and glared at the two Faunus sat at the counter. The big man in the center stepped forward, with burning hatred in his eyes and a fresh bandage applied over his bent and shattered nose. Hiruzen took another quick sip of his beer before looking at the men that had interrupted their drinking, "Can we help you?"

"YOU KNOW WHAT WE'RE HERE FOR YOU FLEA-RIDDEN FUCK!" The man in front yelled, ignoring the clear pain it caused him straining his broken nose before pointing at the bandage, "You broke my nose an hour ago and then just ran off like a pussy!"

"Hey, don't just come up to a couple of guys drinking beers and accuse them of something you can't prove. How do you know it was us?"

"The guy that threw the rock had a monkey tail! And was coming this way! And was wearing the same damn thing as you!"

Hiruzen and Danzō looked down at themselves, realizing they were still wearing their black jackets from their workout.

The pair of Faunus shared a look before the outspoken brunette hummed, "Okay, some of this is sounding familiar now. But – hypothetically speaking – if I was the one who broke your nose, I'm pretty sure I did it because you tried to attack my friend while he was getting some exercise."

"Your freak of nature friend was standing on top of public property! I was doing a service to our city! I'm doing a service every time I make sure you fucks remember your place!"

Some of the other Faunus in the bar turned and glared at the shameful man after his exclamation. Danzō turned to Hiruzen and the monkey finished his drink before standing up from his seat, "Well I guess if you were doing what you thought was right, I was doing what I thought was right. And now that it's been settled-"

"Oh no." The injured racist pulled out a knife and gripped it tightly as some of the men beside him spread out. They made sure to block the path so Hiruzen wouldn't be able to sneak away. Hiruzen looked between them and then at the leader as he snarled, "Don't think anything is settled yet you mutant abomination."

"Oh. No. A knife. Now I know I'm fucked."

"You ain't going anywhere, until we teach you," His knife turned to Danzō, "And your little sniveling friend a lesson. That you goddamn animals should remember your place, and be thankful we let you have a place your filthy kind can call home."

Hiruzen cleared his throat and chuckled, "I think we earned a place to live when we fought your wars, and proved we can stay anywhere when we didn't slink off to Menagerie." The monkey Faunus finally turned and faced the xenophobic thug directly, "Now if you put that knife away, and walk with your little group of fuck buddies out of this nice place, we can call this a little incident and never bother with each other again. But you do anything else…and I'll leave you on the ground crying like the poor little bitch you are."

…

The man yelled with fury and charged at Hiruzen. The Faunus simply reacted by turning his body and landing a blindingly fast kick against the xenophobe's sternum. It stumbled him for only an instant, but in that instant Hiruzen chambered his leg and threw another kick directly into his face. And with another sickening crack he cradle his broken nose and cried out in pain. Hiruzen's heel met his cheek while he was stunned and knocked him bodily into the ground.

The thug laid crouched over on the ground, weeping softly to himself and clutching his nose as it started to bleed through the bandage again. Hiruzen carefully leapt over the downed man's body and faced the other men who had come to fight. He then dropped back casually and landed on the leader's back, using him as a seat as the Faunus stared the other men down.

Hiruzen smirked, wiped his nose and perched an eyebrow, "Anyone else?"

Several of the other men grabbed bottles off counters and out of patrons' hands to smash against a table for a jagged weapon. Others grabbed chairs, either using the whole seat or snapping off a leg for a piece of sharpened wood. Once they had armed themselves, they stood facing Hiruzen and prepared to attack him.

The young Sarutobi let out a long breath and shook his head. Using the injured man's head he pushed himself off his back and rolled his shoulders. Once he was done he raised his fists and stared the other men down.

"AAAHHH!"

One of the bigots charged forward with a chair in hand and started swinging. Hiruzen rushed forward when the chair came swinging for his body. He ducked low underneath it and slammed a foot into his attacker's kneecap. The man yelled in pain, and Hiruzen popped back up to slam his palm into the bigot's chin while he screamed.

Hiruzen slammed the man down on the ground, and looked over his shoulder as two more rushed him from behind. He snapped back up to his feet and threw a spinning kick that forced the two men to stop before they were hit. He fell back into a ready stance and stepped in as the two men lurched forward and swung the weapons they held.

Hiruzen blocked the broken bottle and then punched the wielder's forearm in order to push him back. He turned around and grabbed the other man's wrist before he could be stabbed with a broken chair leg. Hiruzen's fist whipped and struck his attacker between the eyes before throwing a harsh mule kick behind him and flooring the thug holding the broken bottle.

Twisting the arm in his grasp, Hiruzen pulled one of his attackers around and tossed him into another rusher. They collided and Hiruzen dashed forward to knock them both down with a fierce kick. Once they slammed into the ground they were left groaning and coughing from the pain. Hiruzen looked around and snickered as he admired his handy work.

The leading thug finally lifted himself up with a pained gasp and moan. He pulled his hand back from his face and saw his palm slathered in blood from his injury. With a hiss he looked up at the back of the monkey Faunus that had crushed them so effortlessly. The anger that clouded his mind mixed with the pain that overwhelmed his senses. Only blood filled his thoughts and he didn't care how he got it.

He pulled himself up by the counter and grabbed a bottle off the top. With a roar he turned around and prepared to smash it against an unsuspecting Hiruzen's head.

But something grabbed his hand and the bottle he held before he could attack. He stumbled and looked back to see Danzō staring dispassionately at him while his hand coiled around the bigot's grasp, "What-"

A strange, sharp, sickening sound occurred from Danzō's palm as the bottle shattered and blood spilled. The xenophobe screamed in pain before Danzō released his grip. The injured man looked down and saw the bottle had been lacerated in his grip and the places that the weasel had touched had been shredded apart. His skin and nails had been unnaturally cut by something in Danzō's grasp. He panted in shock and horror before looking back at Danzō's almost emotionlessly eyes, "Y-You little-"

Hiruzen dashed back in and slammed the man's head into the counter before he could do anything else. The man dropped unconscious to the ground as Hiruzen smiled triumphantly, "If anyone else wants to pick themselves up and try again, I gotta advise against it. But you gotta do what you gotta do."

Hiruzen felt someone moving behind him and spun around to fight again. But froze and paled in shock when he saw it was a sharp-eyed, middle-aged man with big puffy white hair. The man flared at him accusingly while standing among the beaten group of groaning men.

"H-Hello, Tobirama sir."

"Hi."

Tobirama lurched forward and grabbed Hiruzen's arm, pulling it around and locking it in place behind the monkey's back. He then slammed the young man's upper body against the counter and pinned him there, "Ow - hey, watch it!"

"You have got a lot of explaining to do!" Tobirama hissed and pulled the young man back up. He reached into his pocket, yanked out a couple of Lien, and tossed them on the counter to repay the damages. Once they turned around he pointed at Danzō, "You! Follow!"

Danzō flinched, gulped down the rest of his drink, and followed his friend and mentor out the door while the rest of the bar watched. The barkeep started to count the Lien they left behind and hummed. He then looked over the counter at the groaning men trying to pick themselves up, "You'll be paying out the rest of what's owed."

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

 _ **Done**_

 _ **So Hiruzen is a bit of a hothead fool who jumps into fights without care, and Danzō is his reasonable partner who just can't seem to stop trusting his best friend. And that's how it was for the rest of their lives! Good night everybody!**_

 _ **What's that? That's not how it ends? How does it end? Okay. Okay. Uh-Huh. Oh, that's depressing as shit.**_

 _ **W-Well, Tobirama is here! And he has a few things to say to our boys! I wonder what he'll tell them next time!**_

 _ **I hope this chapter will make it a little clearer than the last one what I want to do with these characters. It...it ain't gonna be a pretty ride for them.**_

 _ **ReadxReview**_

 _ **Thank You and Bye**_


	13. The Fox and The Hood: Welcome Wagon

Hunted or Busted: A Side Story

Dusted 13: The Fox and The Hood: Welcome Wagon

So Cristina Vee is coming up in the next volume. Winter Maiden? Willow Schnee? Who do you think the Miraculous Ladybug will be voicing in our little world of Remnant?

I'm getting more and more excited for November to come around.

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

Yang casually flipped through her Scroll as she waited for the ship she had been sitting around for to finally arrive. It was nearly an hour past the expected arrival time now and she was getting super annoyed now. She had grown much more patient and calm following her graduation from Beacon, but there was still a limit to just how long she would be willing to wait.

It certainly didn't make things easier that she was getting some looks and nods from people that were also waiting at the airport for their arrivals.

Yang always knew she was attractive, even though she tried not to let it go to her head too much. But her father was a looker, and her mother was gorgeous, and she was proud to say that trend carried over to her as well. Plus even while she was good looking when she was still a kid, growing up into an adult with a leaner body and deeper curves just made it all the more true.

And of course that meant that she got looks and glances from those around her that were interested to see if they had a shot.

Sometimes she wore clothes that covered a whole lot of her figure, and then sometimes she wore stuff that left very little to the imagination. So they could look because she couldn't stop their eyes from wandering. But she did get a little annoyed when people came over asking if she was looking for a good time while she was obviously sitting here waiting for an arrival. Usually she could ward them off and tell them no and they would listen, even if they were insistent and pushy to an unbearable degree. She had recently had someone pull her arm and say she shouldn't have been leading him on if she didn't want the attention.

She wasn't allowed back in that bar after the commotion she caused. And to be fair she didn't think the bar deserved to have so many broken tables and an imprint of a douchebag in its wall.

The blonde sighed and realized that if she didn't get some news soon she'd have to start thinking about lunch or even dinner in an airport. And that was not how she had planned to spend her day. If her plans to welcome them back were ruined-

Fortunately Yang heard a ding go out through the intercom and she sprung up in her seat with excitement. The Huntress quickly jumped to her feet and ran over to the window to see the Airship come down for a slow landing. As it lowered its hatch and let the people it carried out, she stood ready with the sign she had prepared.

 **Little Red and Bid Bad Fox**

It was the simple things that made her laugh.

After the first few passengers stepped off the ship Yang finally spotted the duo she had been waiting for.

And balked in horror when she got a look at them.

"Yang!"

"Hey, been waiting long?"

Ruby quickly dove at her sister as Naruto casually walked up with their bags in hand. Yang let her little sister squeeze and nuzzle into her after being gone for over a year on a trip around the world. And now that they were back...

"Why do you two look like a pair of scruffy hobos that just emerged from under the bridge?"

Naruto tilted his head in confusion as Ruby pulled back and looked up at Yang. She stepped back and looked herself over, "I don't think I look that bad? Do you?"

"No way." Naruto said, "We just came back from a huge fight in Vacuo where we fought off Grimm for nearly a day. I think we're permitted to have some scruffy looking clothes."

"Yeah!" Ruby nodded triumphantly.

"Oh really, heroes?" Yang said with hands on her hips, "What about the dirt marks on your face, the mud in your hair, and the fact it looks like you haven't had a haircut in ages?"

Like she said they did have roughed up clothes, muddy boots, and their hair was messy and longer since they had left. In all honestly they did look like they had just come out from living under a bridge. through a storm. And only woke up halfway through the flood washing over them.

"Um..."

"Yep," Yang nodded with resolve, "We're going back to the apartment."

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

"Why are we doing this?"

"Because I can't take you seriously when you look like you've got a drowned badger sitting on your head."

"And why am I first?"

"Because I know Ruby won't fight me and you'll be the more difficult one to convince." Yang said as she pulled out a pair of scissors and wrapped a towel around Naruto's neck. The Faunus looked displeased arriving home and immediately having to get a haircut. He shuffled in his chair anxiously, "Relax. I've cut Ruby's hair a ton when we were kids. I know what I'm doing."

"Have you ever cut the hair of someone with ears sticking out of it?"

"Honestly no, but it's pretty much like every pair of ears when you cut hair. Avoid and make sure not to make a mess." He still didn't look convinced, but Yang quickly started to snip the extra layers of gold hair off. She hummed a little tune as she got into the groove and spoke over her shoulder, "So how was the trip?"

"Oh Yang it was so much fun!" Ruby joyfully exclaimed, the young lady having just finished her shower and coming out to join her sister and friend in her PJs, "I knew Remnant was a big place but you can't believe just how huge it is until you start to see it for yourself! We were gone for a year and we still didn't see all of it!"

"Not like we didn't try." Naruto chuckled as yellow locks started to litter his towel, "Vacuo is a much bigger place than we anticipated. Kiba and the others have settled down there pretty well for themselves. Of course the big Grimm horde we fought wasn't a very appreciated change of pace."

"How'd you handle that?"

"My eyes did that thing they do. The thing Uncle Qrow told us about." Ruby answered as she pulled her knees up to her chest, "I'm still not totally sure what causes them."

"Well hey, at least they worked when you needed them." Yang smiled, "So did you see any of the other old crew on your trip?"

"Oh everybody. We met up with Blake, Sasuke, and Weiss in Atlas and Menagerie. It was so fun to see them again! Weiss acted like we still weren't the best of friends but I still text her every now and then."

"Cool. And have they~..."

"Sasuke wants to prove himself by establishing his ability as the SDC's new head of security. They have a lot of judgmental people and eyes sticking on them right now." Naruto snickered, "Doesn't mean they didn't have a few dates while away in Menagerie~."

"Keep your ears still." Yang said with a laugh as she could just imagine how utterly useless her capable friends would be outside of their comfort zones.

"Tenten and Pyrrha are doing really well in Mistral. They've helped start a new branch of Skyggen in Argus, and are really happy. Jaune's going to stay there for a little bit and..."

Yang looked back confused when they both paused in their retelling. She looked back and saw Ruby's lips had shut while Naruto clammed up entirely. With a quirked brow she looked between them, "What happened to Jaune?"

"He and Pyrrha..."

"Oh, did they finally work things out?"

"Something like that... they..."

"God," Naruto spoke, his voice hollow and eyes looking out farther than he could see, "The sounds. I close my eyes and I can still hear them. And my ears are better than others so I heard...like...everything."

"It was so loud." Ruby muttered in fright, "Oh god, we just left Tenten there to live with it. I mean I'm glad Pyrrha and Jaune are happy together but at what cost?"

Yang couldn't keep her laughter in check any longer as a snicker slipped out at their shaken responses. She had really missed being around them in the year they were gone. There was a big part of her that felt ashamed that she hadn't kept in better contact while they were gone. But...

"I went to Mistral a few months back." She said as she continued to cut Naruto's hair, "But I didn't go there to see the others or as a vacation. I...went there to find my mom."

Ruby sat up in surprise as Naruto looked back in the corner of his eye, "I finally got some solid information from Uncle Qrow about where she could be in Mistral. He said I could only go if I made sure to take him with me...but I just left the same night without telling him."

Ruby looked conflicted but showed a small smile, "I bet they weren't happy about that."

"Dad and Qrow are still super pissed at me." Yang chuckled before shaking her head, "But when I got there I made contact with your dad and his company for help. They used to be classmates so I thought he might know how to handle her."

"And did he?"

"Raven Branwen is...she's a bandit. She made a name for herself as a ruthless and cold criminal. The things she's done over the years...I can't believe I came from her." Yang stopped for a moment and laid her hand on Naruto's shoulder to steady herself. She felt her friend reach up and lay his palm on her knuckles before she continued, "I didn't believe those things until I saw her camp myself and saw just how...empty her people were."

Ruby whispered, "Yang..."

"They drew on me the moment I appeared at their gates. Being there with Mr. Minato was the only reason they didn't attack when they spotted me, and when Raven realized it was me she brought me in to talk. We just argued. We screamed and yelled and I threw accusation after accusation while she could only give excuses. She didn't regret abandoning us. She didn't want anything to do with us anymore. In the end whatever I was hoping to find I didn't get. So now I'm here and all I find myself wanting to do is bring Raven to justice myself. I guess it really was just a big waste of time."

Yang was surprised when she found herself being hugged tightly from behind. She looked over her shoulder to see Ruby burying herself in her back. Her little sister squeezed tighter, "I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you."

"I don't think I wanted you, Dad, or Uncle Qrow there with me. Being there with Raven was just so bleak and awful. And I didn't want any of that being near you or them. I wanted what I have to be as far away as possible from what she was."

"You have us," Ruby hugged tighter, "We love you Yang."

She smiled softly and chuckled as she cut another strand before patting her friend's shoulder, "Okay, you're all good."

Picking up a mirror, Naruto looked into it to see his hair was much shorter and his ears were more visible now. He sighed, "I think this might be a bit too short."

"Quit your bitching and get up." She slapped his shoulder and patted the arms around her waist, "Your turn Sis." Ruby happily disentangled herself and sat down for her sister to do her magic. She wrapped a towel around her neck and let Yang get to work.

"So~..." Yang lifted a long stand of her hair to the side and snickered, "You two get over your little all skin incident yet?"

"Yang!"

She cackled as Naruto just sighed and slumped back into the couch, running a hand through his newly cut hair. And to think he had missed this over the year.

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

"So what was the craziest place you guys went to on your trip?"

"I say Vacuo!" Ruby yelled. The PJ-clad Huntress was now sporting a more familiar hairstyle after her sister's styling. However her eyes were glossy and her speech was slurred after Yang had presented the multitude of beers she kept in their fridge for the celebration. Ruby and Naruto were slow to join but once they did they went in hard, "T-The weather was hot and I got sunburn! And the sand! It was coarse and rough and got everywhere!"

"No way!" Naruto said, equally groggy with some empty beer cans around him as he shook his head, "It was Atlas! Atlas was the toughest place! All those rules and regulations were such a pain in the ass!"

"What? You - you stupid or something? Vacuo was way too hot!"

"I can handle the heat! Atlas was cold! I-I'm not used to cold! I don't like cold! I'd rather take hot! Dress cool. Hydrate. Easy."

"No! Stupid! Dress warm and stay in with hot cocoa!" Ruby shakily dragged herself off the couch and frowned at the Faunus seated on the ground, "Y-You don't know anything!"

Yang laughed as she watched them argue. She was buzzed but she could handle her booze much better than these two could apparently, "Careful you two. You just settled things before, don't go drawing new blood."

"H-Hey, I know things!"

"No you don't!" Ruby groggily refuted as she sloppily crawled her way over to him. She slurred, "Y-You have no idea how tough it is being your partner! Always doing – doing things and taking time and stuff!"

Yang sighed, "Truly you are a natural and gifted speaker for the ages, little sister."

"Not like you're much better." Naruto retorted with a burp, "You do things and time and stuff too."

"One-in-a-million linguists the both of you."

Ruby slapped his chest and hiccuped, "You always rush into fights without a plan. You eat enough to nearly bankrupt us! And you snore in your sleep!"

Naruto's eyes looked to be wandering around the room, "Oh yeah~, well you never stop to rest between missions. You always need me to clean up after you – you would have forgotten _Crescent Rose_ if I didn't tidy everything up! And it is impossible to wake you up on time."

"I get sleepy!"

"I know that now!"

"Oh yeah, well I – I…" Ruby placed a hand on his chest and leaned in towards his face, "I've been thinking about you a lot~."

Yang sat up in surprise as the inebriated Naruto just giggled, "Thank you very much."

"I think you're pretty cool. And nice looking. And I saw you naked~, hehehe." Ruby's little giggle fit made Naruto start to laugh harder before she slapped his shoulder, "I-I wish you would look at me like that too."

"But I'm looking at you right now."

…

"Oh yeah! Hahahaha!"

"Hahahaha!"

The two roommates went into an uncontrollable fit of laughter at whatever they found funny about their conversation. After a few seconds of them just losing their minds Ruby's eyes started to go heavy and she started to sway. She closed her eyes and fell asleep against Naruto's chest while he laughed.

And then he followed after, collapsing backwards and quickly falling unconscious.

Yang looked at the odd sight of the two drunks strewn across the floor. Her little sister sleepily muttered to herself while laying on her friend's chest as Naruto already started to snore.

Did she…

Had they…

A wicked smile slowly stretched over Yang's face as she snickered with glee. She took a sip of her drink, letting the sharp bubble run down her throat before she sighed and smiled, "I am so glad to have you two morons back."

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

 _ **Done**_

 _ **There is just something I adore about writing these characters without the heavy weight of story or plot hovering over them. Just let them be people and do stupid crap. Get haircuts. Drink beer. Get drunk. Do things you'd regret the next morning when you're sober.**_

 _ **Love it.**_

 _ **ReadxReview**_

 _ **Thank You and Bye**_


	14. The Forked Path:Responsible and Culpable

Hunted or Busted: A Side Story

Dusted 14: The Forked Path: Responsible and Culpable

I'm loving Volume 7 so far. New characters and old returning. Watts and Tyrian are frightening as shit. And we get the new outfits soon!

And I know it's a point of contention but I kinda like Jaune's hair. It might just be the contrarian in me wanting to give it a chance when pretty much everyone else in the FNDM goes up in arms and starts quoting Godfather, but hey maybe I'm just an optimist.

Also, apparently that Vine guy has a Semblance similar to what I had Naruto's. Glad to finally have a visual idea of what I was imagining, but not sure how to work that out if they ever meet.

Vine: "You wish you had control like mine."

Naruto: "I'll take relief in the fact I don't look like an albino Dhalsim, motherfucker."

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

"Come on."

"Ow ow ow! D-Dammit, stop pulling! I have feet I can walk on my own! Stop - god say something! Anything! Don't just drag me around!" Hiruzen tripped over his feet as he was forcibly dragged through the door after Tobirama. He tried to pry the hand off his collar but failed to remove the iron grip, "Dammit Danzō stop just watching this and help me!"

"I think we're in enough trouble without me trying to liberate you from your much deserved punishment." The young man said to his best friend as he followed behind them at a comfortable pace, "I'll just stay back here and watch."

"You little bitch!"

Tobirama pushed his door open and tossed Hiruzen inside before he could slip away. As they entered Danzō made to follow them in, but Tobirama held up his hand to stop him before entry, "No Danzō, I need to speak with Hiruzen alone. I have some matters he and I need to desperately go over again."

"AW DAMM-"

The door was shut before Hiruzen could finish his curse and Danzō just stared at the door in mild surprise. He turned around and saw that the small group sitting in a circle in the center of the room was watching what happened in silence. The young weasel Faunus made his way over and pulled up a chair, "I'm sorry for the interruption. Mr. Tobirama just had something urgent to discuss with my friend."

"Hello Danzō," The familiar White Fang volunteer greeted the young man, "Everyone, this is Danzō Shimura. He's a regular member and helps volunteer with Mr. Tobirama's work with the White Fang with his friend. Danzō, today we have a group discussion about our personal relationships with humans. Good and bad. Whatever experiences you think are needed to be heard, we're ready to listen."

Danzō looked around at the gathered folks that had come to talk and recognized some familiar faces from prior rallies. Others were new souls that had probably come to speak their minds. And by the looks on their faces there weren't many good or uplifting stories they had to share with the group. There was one man in particular who looked extra spiteful and disgusted at the topic of their discussion.

"Danzō, do you have a story you'd like to tell? Anything the group should hear?"

"Probably not one that would make any of you feel better."

"Trust us kid," A woman in the group spoke up with a jovial tone overlaying a sad truth, "Not gonna be much different from anything else we've heard today."

The young Faunus paused for a moment in thought as he mulled over what he could say. After a few seconds he exhaled softly and nodded, "When I was just a kid, I played with a group of other kids. In our settlement, human kids stayed separated from Faunus kids, and vice versa. They played in their area, and we played in ours. Except sometimes they would come over and demand the spot we would play at, not even because they wanted to stay there...but just because they wanted to take it from us."

"My friend, Hiruzen, has always been a little different from other people about how he deals with that. He doesn't shy away or hide because of what our people have been through or how we're treated. If someone insulted him, he stood up for himself and tore them down to size. No matter how bad it would have been or who said it, he didn't just sit back and let it slide. Honestly it's gotten us into more trouble than usual, but…I guess between that or letting these people say and do whatever they want, Hiruzen has a clear choice. Anyway, when we were kids the human children tried to push us out of our favorite spot. I think they were egged on by their older siblings or their parents or something, but it just seemed so vicious. Hiruzen stood up to them, argued and yelled and did not stand down. But things escalated pretty quickly, and there was actually a fight. One of the kids threw a big rock at me as hard as they could and," Danzō pointed to the cross scar on his chin, "It split my chin open. Ever since then if I haven't been witness to a fight or argument with humans, all I've seen is casual disinterest and apathy. Even Hiruzen is still quick to pick a fight, and even though I know it's immature the humans around us still rise to the challenge at the small provocation. So I suppose if we're telling stories about our good experiences with humans, then I don't really have any. But stories about when I've thought badly about them…well I have quite a few of those."

 **((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"Another fight?"

"Those guys didn't exactly look ready to listen to reason."

"Another fight!"

"They we're looking for an excuse! If it wasn't going to be me, it would have been some other unfortunate Faunus that wasn't ready to stand up to them! Would you rather they pick on some innocent person just walking by they could take their anger out on, or me who could take it?"

"I'd rather you not get involved or instigate a fight at all!" Tobirama and Hiruzen glared at each other after their furious yelling before they both sighed. Tobirama fell back into his chair as Hirzuen huffed petulantly, stuffing his hands in his pockets and stomping around the room, "I'd really just rather you not get involved with people like this at every opportunity. I hear about a fight breaking out between Faunus and humans and about 50% of the time it usually involves you."

"I'm just trying to live my life." Hiruzen muttered angrily, "Why the hell is it a crime for me to do that?"

"It isn't a crime." Tobirama said, "But that doesn't mean every person in the world will agree with you. For every desire and choice in this world, there is something to fight back and oppose it. Even for something like people's rights and livelihoods." The older man looked ahead wearily before grabbing his pen and continuing where he left off on his paperwork, "I agree with you that it shouldn't be some terrible action just to walk around and be yourself, but there are those who would rather we leave and never appear before them again. But instead of engaging those people and worsening their view on us, why not try to avoid them?" Hiruzen looked back at him with a frown, "No, it isn't fair and it isn't right to just ignore them and let them be, but if the alternative is you starting fights with them then I'd prefer you walked. There are other methods to stopping this kind of injustice than just throwing fists."

"Well when I find a more effective method, I'll try to use that instead." Tobirama sighed and shook his head at Hiruzen's snappish response. The young monkey Faunus continued to pace around the room impatiently in an effort to calm his heated emotions. As he passed by a glass stand, he found himself pausing and staring at the display once more, "Did your old buddies ever hate you because you were a Faunus?"

"Some looked at me differently, and some never fully trusted me, but somewhere near the end that didn't matter as much. We had each other's backs, and we had a fight to win."

Hiruzen looked over the folded uniform, medals and recognition for his service with the Vale forces, and a photo taken of Tobirama, his brother, and the other men from their unit. They had fought with a group of other humans and Faunus in the war years ago. The reason so many people trusted Tobirama after he had been entrusted the group from Hashirama was because he was a veteran who had fought against the oppression of individualism, and again for the sake of Faunus rights. Many people thought that a decorated soldier with prior service and strong appeal would work well to gather people to the cause. It made other members scratch their heads that he didn't use this knowledge earlier to help raise awareness of their cause.

Hiruzen knew Tobirama and his family a little better than most others. The reason he didn't talk about it was because he joined the war with his father and brothers. All of his brothers.

And now it was just him and his older brother left.

Feeling a swell of guilt in his chest, Hiruzen sighed and scratched his head. He turned around and looked at the white-haired man working diligently on his work. Tobirama felt his gaze and looked up as Hiruzen exhaled, "When Danzō and I were running over the rooftops – yes I know you said we shouldn't but we need our exercise – we met those guys I fought earlier. And I…spiked a rock into one of their faces." Tobirama looked agitated by that admission but Hiruzen continued, "And the only reason I did that is because they threw a rock at us first…and he aimed at Danzō."

Tobirama and Hiruzen stared at each other in a heavy silence for a few seconds before the older man sighed and leaned back in his chair. He rubbed his eyes and shook his head, "I know you two are best friends but you can't keep doing that. You can't baby him and stop him from making his own decisions."

"Would you rather he'd gotten hit?" The silence weighed heavily between them before Hiruzen nodded, "Thought so. Say what you want, but I made the right choice."

"And now I see there's just no way to convince you like this." Tobirama slowly stood out of his chair and shook his head in disappointment. He slowly made his way around his desk and stalked towards Hiruzen, his large body towering over the younger man and his broad shoulders casting a shadow over him, "I guess you leave me no other choice."

Hiruzen backed away carefully, "W-What are you going to do?"

"The only thing I can do…punish you."

 **((((((((Hunting))))))))**

"-so then while she was in the delivery room, the guy that drove us there stayed with me the whole time. We talked about a bunch of stuff. We waved at my daughter in the nursery while she rested. And he told me about his kids and what being a parent is like. We're actually drinking buddies now, and we talk regularly." One man said optimistically as he smiled, "I think I have a better relationship with that human that any person outside of my family."

"Good, I'm glad you shared that with us." The volunteer looked around at her group, "It's good to remember that the people we have trouble with isn't just an entire race or group of people; it's the individuals in those groups of people that we perceive as making up the entire group. I believe that if we can look past that and engage with each other-"

"Pfft."

Eyes turned to the older man that had been quietly sitting by and listening to everyone tell their stories. The chaperone turned in her seat and looked at the man, "Do you have something you want to say?"

"I want to say that this is total bullshit." He brashly stated, "Are we supposed to be making friends with humans now? Just forget everything that happened in the past?"

"Not at all. I wouldn't sit here and tell you to forget about the past. But I would advise that we should try to accept that what happened is set, and can't be changed. All we can do now-"

"Did you lose anyone in the war?" The man interrupted, "Anyone you remember who was killed in battle?"

"Yes, actually. My grandfather and uncle signed up to fight in the war. But they didn't come back, and we had to bury them." She admitted, "I won't forgive the people that did it, but I don't want to spend the rest of my life waving my fists at people I've never even met and probably never will. I don't think they'd want me to spend my life like that."

"Well that's sweet. Probably the mindset of a family of soldiers and fighters." The man smiled and shrugged with uncertainty, "I'm not quite sure how I can relate to that, because none of my family were soldiers who were ready for the fight. My father was just a merchant, but he was still killed. For no reason."

Danzō raised his brow and shifted in his seat to listen to the older man. The other people in the circle were doing the same, listening intently to the man as he stared ahead, "One day our settlement was the spot for a raid between two forces. I think it started on the field by our home and gradually it just shifted over as the battle raged on. Bullets and explosions completely decimated our streets. Our friends and neighbors could be heard screaming in terror in their rooms between the sounds of gunfire. My mother held me to her chest and started hyperventilating but still kept telling me I would be okay. And my father dragged himself to the window and looked outside to see if it was over when the bullets stopped flying."

They noticed the man's eyes started to water and shake as he caught his breath. Remembering the event seemed to physically hurt him and yet he hadn't even finished telling his story.

"Someone kicks down our door and starts yelling. He screams at my father and points a gun at him. He just kept yelling and yelling, so loud and indecipherably that I wasn't even sure what he was saying. And without waiting another second he just guns my father down like an animal." The man's voice cracked and he covered his eyes as they started to tear up, "He had his hands up and everything. He was just a man who sold rugs in the market and this soldier broke into our home and killed him. I was so scared and my mother just started screaming until the man turned on us instead...but before he could take the shot...he stopped him."

"Who?" Danzō asked.

"Madara Uchiha."

Everyone in the circle nearly lost their breath when they heard that name muttered. Some of them were unsettled at the reminder that such a wicked soul existed in their world. Others were genuinely shocked that there was a Faunus that had crossed his path and lived to tell about it.

The Uchina were a despicable group that had been guards, soldiers, and warriors for the Kingdoms for generations. They had committed some truly terrible actions to people they had been ordered to kill, and have been at the center of some of the worst Faunus atrocities in history. They were a source of fear and terror before they were forsaken by Mistral and Atlas for their actions in the war and then hunted down by the people looking for vindication.

And at the center of some of those war crimes was Madara Uchiha. He had a higher body count than anyone else in the war, humans and Faunus. The actions he committed set up new laws and regulations for warfare on Remnant. There was a rumor that the day the war had ended he was begging for it to continue and for the killing to go on. And even after the war had finished, it was well documented that he had hunted down and slaughtered groups of people in the aftermath.

The Grimm could not compare to the monster that was Madara Uchiha. And here was a man whose life had crossed with that demon's and lived.

"Turns out the soldier was an Uchiha. Because of fucking course it was an Uchiha." The man hissed in disgust, "I remember that damned red and white fan on the back of their uniform. Several Uchiha came in and led the first guy away to kill some other poor, unarmed man in cold blood. And Madara Uchiha...looked back at me." He paused, sweat coming down his forehead and tears in his eyes, "I still remember those red eyes. I was just a kid and the moment I saw those eyes I had accepted my death. But instead he just walks away, my mother screaming and crying while my father laid dead in a pool of his own blood. In an instant our lives were ruined and it didn't even matter to them."

His words and quiet sobs hung over the people in the meeting.

"How?" He asked, "How the fuck can you talk about making peace with people who do thing like that? How can you think it's even possible with those monsters?"

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

The meeting had come to an early end after the man had finished his story about Madara Uchiha. Danzō had offered to stay behind and clean up the place while he waited for Hiruzen and Tobirama to come back out.

The door to the office finally opened up and Tobirama walked out with an irate Hiruzen following behind him. Tobirama nodded his way, "Danzō, glad to see you're still here. So how did the meeting go?"

"Um...you'll probably hear about it later." He said ambiguously, to Tobirama's confusion before he decided to wait until later. The weasel looked over and saw his monkey friend frowning and glaring aside, "What happened?"

"Hiruzen and I had a long, extensive conversation about violence, responsibility, and how to properly interact with people. He fought back on every topic I brought up, and so I had no choice but to punish him in a way where he'll finally learn his lesson."

"He's put me in charge of a White Fang group in Vale." Hiruzen angrily stared, "He says I can't resort to violence when I'm in charge of scheduling rallies and gathering people together."

"If you want to find another way to do things then I'm more than ready to help you find those methods." Tobirama smiled smugly at the young man, "I'll send you more of the details when I'm done working things out. I expect great things from you."

Hiruzen growled as the older man walked away, basking in his apparent victory. After a moment the monkey turned to his best friend, "I can't believe I'm getting saddled with this shit."

"Well, I cant wait to see how things turn out."

"You want to come with me?" Hiruzen chuckled, "You don't have to do that."

"Of course I do." Danzō smiled, "I'm with you to the end."

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

 _ **Done**_

 _ **So we get a little extra info about some new characters as well as our two mains for this story. I'm having a hard time writing this because I can imagine the outline and how I want the chapter to go but I can't quite put it into words. Probably because this is my first time writing it wherever everyone is so harsh and mean to each other.**_

 _ **Honestly, I also really want to get around to telling Madara's tale in this story. God I have so many ideas and I really can't wait to show them all to you. Hopefully we won't take very long to get there.**_

 _ **Fingers crossed.**_

 _ **ReadxReview**_

 _ **Thank You and Bye**_


	15. The Fox and The Hood: Silver With Envy

Hunted or Busted: A Side Story

Dusted 15: The Fox and The Hood: Silver With Envy

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

Ruby bounced on her feet anxiously as she watched the Airship dock into place and power down. She smiled and steadied herself as she waited for the ramp to come down and her roommate to board off. He had just finished a two-week long mission away from home and was finally coming back today. It was a longer job than expected, but now that he was coming home she could show him just what she had prepared for dinner.

Ruby had finally perfected her ramen recipe, and she was going to cook up a bowl of it tonight in celebration of his return.

That was normal, right? It was just a simple celebration with her roommate/best friend for his return from a hard mission. He had done the same with her multiple times, celebrating her return with a movie night or going out to eat. This time she was just going to cook something special instead.

It wasn't weird or suspicious or anything. It didn't matter what stupid thing Yang said about her and what she might have mistakenly muttered while absolutely sloshed on the cheap booze she so obviously forced into their hands.

Yeah, it was all the booze's fault. You know the old saying; a drunk person's words in no way, shape, or form correlated to what the sober person actually thinks and should be ignored in their entirety.

That old saying just rolls off the tongue.

The young Huntress finally came out of her thoughts and noticed the Airships were starting to land. She lifted herself up and went running over with the other civilians to wait for the people to step off. Watching dozens of people fill up the landing pad as she tried to spot her best friend.

She immediately recognized the adorable fox ears poking out in the crowd and made her way over to see him. Ruby called out, "Naru-"

"Uzumaki!"

When she made her way through the crowd it was in time to see Naruto being flanked by a man and woman who looked to be Hunters as well. The man greeted him with a grin and punch to the arm as the woman laughed and hooked an arm around his shoulder, pulling him in closer and putting her chest and the frankly unnecessary, slutty cleavage she sported against his arm.

"Hey man, it was great to work with you. I thought you were another green horn that was in over his head, but damn if you didn't prove me wrong."

"Yeah! That Beringel kill? Masterpiece!"

"Yeah, that was kinda just a mad wave of my arms to save myself." Naruto admitted before smirking and shrugging one shoulder, "Still pretty damn great though."

"Oh real modest. Hey, if you ever want to go for drinks just give us a call, alright?" The man clapped his back and waved him off, "See you around man."

"Don't be a stranger stud." The woman kissed his cheek and slid her arm off before waving him goodbye.

Naruto chuckled and wiped his cheek before hefting his bag up his shoulder again. He turned but stopped in surprise before grinning, "Ruby! I didn't know you were coming to meet me." The blond Faunus beamed a smile and leaned down to give her a tight hug. He noticed that while she hugged back, she wasn't squeezing back with the same enthusiasm he did at seeing his roommate again. He pulled back and tilted his head, "Ruby – uh – you okay?"

"Of course." Her eye twitched subtly as she looked up at him with a smile totally devoid of warmth and security, "Welcome home."

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

"So I had to chase after this Beowolf that was going after this little kid – screaming and crying and terrified out of her mind. So I shoot it in the back and kill it, and then grab her before she can get too far and calm her down. But when I got there, I was surrounded by a pack-"

It was a great story. Truly a tale that rivaled Uncle Qrow's old stories that helped put her and Yang to sleep. It was an amazing, badass retelling of heroics, honor, and Grimm-slaying. And she found herself unable to totally enjoy it while she cooked their ramen.

Once again Ruby's thoughts went back to that woman that draped herself over Naruto like a blanket. Flaunting around that figure and those breasts like she wanted his attention. At least Yang had the decency of being her sister so she wasn't allowed to critique her on what she wore. But that lady was free game, and she certainly looked like she was giving it out for free.

…

Was this jealousy or spite? Why would she be feeling these things? That's so weird. And stupid. Stupid weird feelings. It was that lady's fault for acting all flirty and familiar with her roommate after just one mission. Hell, if she was the one barely dressed at all, kissing Naruto's cheek and throwing herself over him so his arm was sandwiched right between her breasts like that…

…

What was she doing again?

"I can't believe you're making ramen for dinner." Naruto reminded her, completely oblivious to her rapid thought process as he smiled and inhaled deeply, savoring the wonderful aroma. He bounced in his chair at the counter by the stove and quickly stood up, "Can I get a look?"

Ruby silently nodded and stepped back to give him room. He came around and stood over the pot, stirring it around and marveling at its color. He smacked his lips but stopped from slurping it up right then and there, "You did such a great job with this Ruby! I can't believe how good you've made…this…"

He blinked in confusion and looked over his shoulder. He then looked down and noticed Ruby was leaning back into his back while he looked at their meal. She wasn't looking in his direction but just staring at the wall with a firm pout on her face. She slowly looked up at him but quickly noticed his gaze and turned back away.

"Um...Ruby?"

"Hmm?"

"You okay?"

"Yeah sorry, just a little lost in my thoughts." She pushed herself off his back and stepped around the kitchen island, making sure not to meet his eyes while her face was turning pink. She grabbed a remote and pointed it to the stereo, "Hey, do you wanna listen to something? I feel like some music would really make the meal better."

"Uh, yeah sure. Anything particular in mind?"

"Nah, just flipping through some channels." Ruby said as she fiddled with the remote, "I'm sure we'll find something-"

"-cha wish ya girlfriend was hot like me!~"

Ruby quickly changed the channel in a panic. She looked over and noticed Naruto hadn't paid attention to the music. She took a breath in relief before trying to continue the conversation, "U-Um, you know it's been really boring with you not around."

"Yeah, it sucks when one of us leaves for awhile. Sucks the life out of the apartment." Naruto agreed, "What'd you do while I was away?"

"Oh, the usual. Checked the job listings, played some games, watched TV-"

"-et funky with ya fingers~, ya gotta get funky with ya fing-"

"Thanks for coming to meet me by the way." Naruto, concentrating on the cooking and oblivious to the music, thanked Ruby as she flipped the channels in a panic, "You really didn't have to do that."

"Are you kidding? Don't even think I wouldn't come. You come greet me whenever I come back from work. Plus when I saw you-"

"-y body~, my body is telling me yes-"

Ruby growled, "I-I was really glad to have you back! And I thought ramen would be the perfect meal to-"

"-t be scared~, you got the mood prepared~, go on and kiss the-"

Naruto finally noticed that the music kept cutting off before the songs could complete. He looked up in time to see Ruby huffing in anger and furiously flicking through the stations, "Nothing you like?"

"All bad stuff today!"

"Alright then," He shrugged and took a small sip of the ramen with another spoon. He moaned in delight, "Hey why didn't you invite Yang to join us?"

Ruby flinched and looked away in embarrassment, "O-Oh, Yang couldn't come today. She had to do something important."

"What was it?"

"S-Something important! I just said! And if I forced her to come-"

"-when it's in a three-way~, ~with a honey in the middle there's some leewa-"

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Ruby spiked the remote across the room and watched it explode into pieces. She took deep, frantic breaths to try and calm herself before she looked over and saw Naruto staring at her. The Huntress tidied herself up and nodded, "Diarrhea. I think that's what she had to do."

"So~ no music?"

"No music. And get away from there!" She quickly made her way back over to the island and shooed her roommate away from the stove, "I'm the one that cooked this thing so I don't want you finishing it up. Go sit down and let me do my magic."

The Faunus couldn't help but laugh as his friend forced him away with a rapid flap of her hands. He stepped around the island and sat down at the counter as he watched her work, "Glad to see you're taking such a passion with cooking."

"Yeah, didn't think it'd be as fun as this but I was really wrong." Ruby chuckled as Naruto laughed as well. The two friends stayed silent, Naruto rummaging through his Scroll as Ruby perfected her dish. However after a few seconds she nervously looked up from her pot and over at Naruto. She inhaled deeply, "So about the people you worked with..."

"Hm?" Naruto looked up, "Oh you mean those two who were talking with me when I got off? Yeah they're a married couple who take Hunter jobs together. We worked together on the job."

"Yeah cool totally," Ruby muttered, "So when I came to pick you up that married lady was kinda growing out of your arm. Was there something about that?" She tried to shrug like she didn't care, "I mean if she was just flirting then that's cool..."

"Oh," Naruto's expression pinched up, "You saw that huh?"

Ruby's guts twisted at that response.

"So I met them while being debriefed about the job and we kinda hit off pretty well. We worked together the first day and I showed them that I had quite a bit of experience for someone who's only been a Huntsman for less than two years. But they were nice and friendly. And then one night during the assignment..."

"Y-Yeah?"

"She came to my room...dressed in see-through lingerie."

Ruby's grip nearly bent the ladle in her hand.

"And she wanted me to...to sleep with her."

"Did you?!" Ruby nearly jumped over the stove, "Did you actually-"

"Ruby the pot-"

The ladle caught on the side of the pot and tipped the whole thing over. It toppled to the floor and spilled all its contents in the process. When it was over the two roommates could only stare down in horror as their dinner was ruined beyond comprehension.

...

Naruto sniffled and tried to stop the tears from falling.

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

"Well it's not ramen but it's still pretty good." Naruto bit down into his grilled cheese with a hearty crunchy and reveled in the taste. He wiped his mouth, "I definitely didn't teach you this on the road."

"This I know how to do. I used to want to eat these all the time when I was a kid, and Yang said she could make the perfect grilled cheese." She turned the sandwich around on its pan and looked at the golden crust the bread had become, "Of course she had started to use her Semblance more often so she tried to cook the sandwich between her hands. I realized if I wanted one, I had to make it myself." She proudly puffed out her chest, "I might make the best grilled cheese in Remnant."

"No argument here."

She was disappointed that they couldn't have the meal she worked so long to make, but a quiet night just eating sandwiches didn't sound that bad either. She dropped her sandwich on her plate and sat beside Naruto as they munched blissfully on their treats.

Ruby was about to take a bite out of her sandwich before she paused, remembering what caused their meal to be ruined in the first place...

"So...what happened when she asked to sleep with you?"

Naruto rolled his eyes and rubbed his hair, "She asked me to have sex with her, and even though I was surprised, I was kinda reacting to what she was wearing."

"Naruto, please tell me you didn't sleep with a married woman."

"I was so confused...and I only got more confused when I noticed her husband standing two feet behind her."

...

Ruby blinked, "What?"

"Yeah apparently they both came over so she could proposition infidelity with me." Naruto took a bite of his sandwich and shook his head, "I asked what the hell was going on and they just said it was fine. Apparently she was interested and he had a fetish, for cuckoldry."

Ruby grimaced, "Oh."

"Yeah, and she requested that after I was done we invite the husband over and, I quote, 'Make me the victim in an unfortunate King Taijitu pincer attack.'"

"Oh my god!" Ruby's eyes were wide in horror as she realized what that innuendo entailed. Her eyes darted around rapidly before shaking her head, "S-So what happened?"

"I told them I had a headache and closed the fucking door before they could make their way in."

"B-But they invited you to beers too?"

"Oh no way in hell am I meeting either of them drunk and with my judgement impaired."

"Good because that was - that's just really weird."

"S-Should we be kink-shaming them?"

"I'll shame them if you don't want to! They come to your door offering to swing! What the hell?!"

"That's totally weird, right?!"

"Super weird!"

After a while the two started to ease in conversation, indulging more on the ridiculousness the blond had faced with the two Hunters. Ruby couldn't help but break into laughter as Naruto tried to stop her but started laughing as well when he saw the humor of it.

As they relaxed into their easy talking and their makeshift dinner, Ruby realized what this really was. It wasn't some kind of infatuation. It wasn't any feelings she was burying down. It wasn't what we Yang was so sure it was.

It was just comfortable. It was nice. She had fun being with her best friend and she enjoyed how much they could trust in each other. It wasn't anything romantic. It was just...

Friendship.

...

"Do you want to go to the fair next week?"

Naruto looked up from his bite as Ruby elaborated, "There's a fair with a fireworks festival afterwards and I thought it'd be fun. You wanna go together?"

"Definitely. It's a date."

"A date."

...

Okay she might have just shot herself in the foot with that one.

 **((((((((Hunted)))))))))**

 _ **Done**_

 _ **Man, writing these two goofballs really takes the edge off me. I'm sitting here trying to write big stories and difficult events and when I'm overwhelmed I think 'Oh yeah, I have a story about two total dorks hanging out with each other'.**_

 _ **I know this story isn't very popular but it has the most calming effect on me possible.**_

 _ **Plus with all the crazy crap about to happen in RWBY proper, I think we could all use some deescalation.**_

 _ **ReadxReview**_

 _ **Thank You and Bye**_


	16. The Fox and The Hood: Under the Firework

Hunted or Busted: A Side Story

Dusted 16: The Fox and The Hood: Under the Fireworks

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

"Okay, you just have to hit it right in the middle."

"Ruby-"

"If you hit it right then hopefully all of them will topple over and we'll win."

"Ruby-"

"But I mean just knocking them over should be enough for us to win, but they also have to fall off the table too? How is that fair? I mean it's possible – obviously – but after knocking down the bottles it pretty much becomes a job for physics and gravity and stuff! It kinda sucks-"

"Ruby!"

The Huntress paused and looked around once she had been pulled out of her rant. She realized Naruto, the booth vendor, and some people watching nearby were watching her while she had vanished into her tirade. The red-haired woman coughed into her fist and stepped back sheepishly, "Go ahead."

Naruto exhaled, gripped the ball tightly in his hand, reeled it back, and spiked it across the booth. The ball smashed into the bottles violently and sent them all clattering off the shelf and onto the ground. As they dropped, the blond Faunus pumped his arm in victory and the crowd clapped around them. He pointed to one of the prizes and the vendor happily handed it over before he grinned at her, "Told you I had it."

He was totally right. Naruto had spent a long time honing his skills at throwing weapons with great accuracy, and that had obviously proved fruitful if he could translate that even to throwing a ball. She clapped and giggled as he walked up to her, "I never should have doubted you could do it."

"You really shouldn't have." He grinned and held out the big Beowolf plushie towards her, "Here you go."

"Aww, thank you." She cooed as she took the adorable toy in her arms and hugged it tightly. It was only after a minute that she realized it was quite large and the festival had only just started, "Wait, do I have to carry this thing around for the rest of the night?"

"Yep." Naruto's grin turned into a mischievous one as he looked down at her, "That's what you get for doubting me."

"You jerk!" She laughed and playfully jabbed at him as he chuckled at her misfortune. Once they finished they continued walking side by side along all the booths, attractions, and rides. The lights flashed brightly and the sounds of all the booths around them mixed with the laughs of the other patrons. Children and couples ran by to reach their next destination while Naruto and Ruby laughed and walked along.

And were definitely not on a date.

Despite what she had said when she had asked him to come with her to the festival, this was not actually a date. She had gone over the details and semantics in her head over and over and reached the conclusion that two friends going out to have fun was just a fun night. They weren't even remotely dressed for something like a date. Ruby was wearing a simple white shirt under her red jacket and a long skirt, while Naruto was in an orange shirt and black jeans. It was like the most casual clothes someone could possibly wear going out.

…

Did the fact neither of them were dressed up for tonight bother her for some reason? Pfft, n-no, that's just stupid. Stupid subconscious fretting about nothing.

"Hey, we should probably get something to eat." Naruto pointed out, "So we could go get an overpriced hotdog, or some overpriced cotton candy, or maybe-"

"Overpriced funnel cake!" Ruby cheered and threw her arms and her new plushie up in the air, "That stuff is delicious and we can only ever get it at a place like this!"

"You know that stuff is gonna clog up our organs, right?"

"Well duh, but it's just so good~!" Ruby smacked her lips before grabbing his arm and pulling him along, "C'mon! Let's go!"

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

The funnel cake they bought was massive and more than either of them could handle by themselves. So they sat together at a table and started digging into it from both sides. She ate her share so quickly some powdered sugar ended up on her nose and cheek. And he wiped it off with a napkin and a soft chuckle at the mess she made.

Ruby had to quickly hide the red on her cheeks. And not just because she had embarrassed herself in front of him.

Afterwards they ran around and tried to get on as many rides as possible. The rollercoaster's length was pretty small but the amount of times it made that round at high speeds were amazing. Ruby was used to speeds a dozen times faster on just her feet so she just laughed in amusement. She laughed even harder at the fretful screams Naruto made on each drop.

They followed that up with a round on the teacups. No one around had ever seen one of those cups spin as fast as their one. Ruby and Naruto cackled like hyenas as they twisted the wheel and disappeared into a circle of red and yellow blurs. Although they moved so fast they had to follow it up with a wobble behind a booth and a quick vomiting session before they could move on.

Afterwards they had gone to playing games like ring toss or shoot the water to pop the Boarbatusk's balloon. Whether they were working together or challenging each other to see who could perform better, they both had a big smile on their faces as they enjoyed the fun and company with each other. And from all their wandering around they had finally arrived at this booth that offered them their greatest challenge.

"Come on. Come on." Naruto muttered furiously as one eye focused down the scope of his rifle and kept his target in sight. Filtering out all the other sounds and lights around him, the fox's eyes remained on the bullseye that waved back and forth before him before he took the shot. His pellet flew through the air and hit the edge of the Nevermore target, "Crap." He cursed as he pulled the bolt back and fired again only to miss, "Shit." He cocked it back one more time and fired, this time hitting the edge of the bullseyes as he threw up his fist, "I did it!"

"Sorry kid, doesn't count unless the Nevermore flies back when you hit it."

"Oh that's bullshit!" He exclaimed as the vendor just shrugged it off without worry. With a growl Naruto dropped the gun on the booth and walked back to his companion at the side. Ruby was hiding her giggle fit behind the Beowolf plushie before she clutched it back to her chest and smiled at him, "That game is rigged to shit."

"I don't know." Ruby playfully shrugged as she watched some kids step up to the shooting gallery and try their hands, "I think it's supposed to be super challenging but I'm not sure it's impossible."

"Are you serious right now? You think someone can knock down that big ass target with those tiny pellets?"

Ruby shrugged, "Granted factoring in the size of the pellet and its fire rate from a gun with a lack of real propulsion, along with such a distance and the weight of the target, it is impossibly difficult." The redhead than smirked up at her best friend and shrugged, "Unless you're the best sniper ever~."

"Oh?" She giggled at the way his eyes twitch at the sound of her tone. Snatching the plushie out of her arms, he motioned to the booth with a swing of his arm, "Care to show me what you can do?"

"Gladly." She gave an awkward curtsy and strolled over to the gallery with a confident swagger. Passing over some Lien, Ruby picked up her pop rifle and checked it over. It was a silly, crude thing that could barely be used in a game. The weight was oddly distributed and the sights were ever so slightly off that you could never hit a target looking down it. She would have better luck eyeballing it herself than trust the sights.

Which is exactly what she did.

Faster than anyone could have anticipated Ruby raised the gun and aimed it at the flying Nevermore target. She didn't have a proper aim but she had used a rifle so much that she could tell the line and aim just from feel alone. And the target was moving so slowly Ruby felt embarrassed for Naruto that he could barely hit it. She fired, pulled the bolt, fired, pulled the bolt, and fired again all in the span of a second.

The three pellets darted off the center of the bullseye and the Nevermore was knocked backwards almost instantly. Everyone standing around looked at the feat in complete disbelief as Ruby shined brightly and gently lowered the play rifle.

"I'd like that one please."

The crowd cheered and even the vendor marveled at what he had seen. Shrugging he reached up and grabbed the biggest toy on his shelf. The Ursa toy was so massive and cumbersome that even that large man had difficulties carrying it properly before dropping it on top of the counter. Ruby smiled and wrapped her arms around it, not even circling its stomach completely before she lifted it up with effort and wobbled over to rejoin Naruto. The whiskered Huntsman relented and clapped his hands, "Damn I gotta hand it to you. That was amazing."

Ruby gently lowered the giant plush to the ground and let out a sigh of relief. She then reached out and took back her Beowolf from his grasp. She hugged it to her chest and then just stared at Naruto with a content smile.

…

Disbelief formed on his face as he groaned, "Oh you can't possibly be that vindictive."

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

"Hey, hurry up! We're gonna be late if you don't pick up the pace!" Ruby couldn't help but giggle to herself as she looked back at her friend and egged him on, "Can't you move a little faster?"

"Stop it." Her friend growled as he carried the giant inconvenient toy over his back and tried to maneuver through the crowd. It really was so big and unwieldy that it was really just a huge pain to have to carry it around. Ruby almost felt bad about getting it for him, but then she saw the frown on his face and the cute way his ears flicked around in irritation and that sentiment just disappeared entirely. He finally came back to her side, slouched over with the comfy Ursa on his back and took a moment to catch his breath. He then craned his neck back to look up at her, "So what time is it?"

"8:54 and the fireworks are supposed to start at about 9 if they keep to the schedule." Ruby started to frown as she noticed that the concentration of people around them had heavily increased as the show drew closer. It was going to be impossible to enjoy this if they were all pressed so closely together that she could feel the people behind her breathing down her neck. She looked around and spotted the ferris wheel cresting over the top of the booths, "What about the wheel? I bet we'd get a great view from up there."

"Yeah and I bet you aren't the first person that's had that idea." Naruto straightened up and hissed as his back popped, "I saw dozens of people stand in line ready to ride the wheel earlier so they could get a view. We could try getting in line but I seriously doubt we'd get on it in time for the show."

Groaning and bouncing on her feet, Ruby's brain worked in overdrive to figure out what they could do. The central viewing area was packed and the wheel's best spots for seeing the show were taken too. Which meant they had to pick a different spot away from the festival grounds in order to see the show. Ruby's eyes wandered over to the side and she saw a number of families and couples running to the hill to grab a spot. The wide grassy incline was filled with people settling down and preparing to view the spectacle. It was also turning out to be a little too overcrowded, but there were less and less people as the hill went higher and more difficult to climb-

"Up there!" She got Naruto's attention as she pointed up to the top of the hill where only several people had climbed up to the top to view the upcoming show, "I bet there's a great place for us up there!"

"H-Hang on Ruby this stupid bear-"

"Let's go!"

Ruby grabbed Naruto's arm and in a flash they were gone, spinning around in a red and orange blur that flew over the heads of the crowd and up the hill. When they reached the top, Ruby's released her hold and Naruto dropped to the ground with the Ursa in his arms. The Huntress cheered triumphantly and tossed her Beowolf into the air before catching it, "We did it! I told you this spot would work!"

"H-Hold on, my stomach's gotta catch up with me." He always did have trouble keeping his focus after she was done carrying them like that. She knew he could handle the speed, but apparently the swirls and turns were just too much for him. Ruby watched as he set the large Ursa plushie behind him and settled back into its stomach with a sigh, "You know this stupid thing sucks but it is actually super comfortable."

"It is?"

"Yeah, try this out."

"You're kinda hogging the whole thing." He reached back and tipped the Ursa over so it was lying long ways on the ground. He the scooted over and took up the head and chest before patting the ground beside him for the rest of its body. She quickly took up his offer and sat beside him before leaning back into the cozy body of the massive prize, "Oh my god."

"Right?"

"I am so glad I won this thing."

"I'd agree if I didn't have to carry it over the whole damn festival. But right now it is definitely proving its worth." She laughed at his frustration and even he had to let out a chuckle as they sat back into it and stared up at the sky, "But it was a pretty great shot you made earlier. Don't know why I even doubted you for a second. Can't even count how many times you saved our lives with an impossible shot like that."

"Same for you." He looked towards her and she just shrugged in response, "How many times did you save my life from some wandering Grimm coming up on my back or a criminal that was gonna take a shot?" She nudged his side with her elbow, "Remember when that explosion went off on the Mistral cliffside, and you jumped off at the last second to grab me and then latched on to the edge? My hero."

"I totally did that on reflex. I'm sure you could have used your Semblance to make your way back up or glide over the forest below."

"Maybe. Maybe not." She poked him in the shoulder as he looked directly into her eyes, "But you didn't even give me the chance to think about it. Faster than I could use my Semblance you tried to help me. And that means so much to me."

"Ruby..." She watched him smile and look at her so fondly before looking back out over the view before them, "Thank you so much for coming with me on my trip. I've wanted to visit all the Kingdoms for pretty much my entire life, but whenever I dreamed about it I just thought about doing work and being a Huntsman during the whole trip."

"O-Oh, s-sorry if I kinda got us off course-"

"No but that's the point." He interrupted with a grin towards her, "You took a lifelong dream and you turned it into an experience. I don't think I could have enjoyed myself half as much as I did with you by my side, and I couldn't have done as much to help people as we did together. And we were able to do that because we were together. So thank you Ruby," He nudged her back with his large shoulder, "Thank you for being the best Huntress, and one of the best people I've ever met."

...

There it was again. Her heart was doing that thing.

That thing where it was light and heavy and still and fluttering all at the same time. Once more without even trying he was making her heart do things that it shouldn't have been doing. It happened every once in a while when they were on their trip. The fights together. The time they spent recovering from their battles. When he caught her before she dropped off that cliff. When she saw him awake after the Vacuo battle.

This wasn't just because of the praise. Seeing him smile...at her...happy...with her...it did so much with so little. It couldn't just be nothing. It really had to be something. Conflict and hesitation battled eagerness and anxiety in her mind.

Ruby barely opened her mouth, "Na-"

A loud whistle came from the horizon before it exploded in a bang and flash of lights. People already started to cheer and clap as the fireworks started. Naruto also turned out to the vast view and watched the show, as she just stared at him silently.

She knew it...she could feel whatever this was receding. Whether it was lunacy or bravery it had only welled up for an instant in the heat of the moment. One more minute and her tongue would stay tied. Five and she'd hide her face to forget about it. And by the time the fireworks were over she'd have buried whatever niggling, nascent emotions these were crawling in her chest.

She'd just have to wait until the fireworks ended.

"Haha! They made a pack of Grimm getting chased by a puppy!" She watched Naruto clap and turned back to look at her, "Hey you think your dog-"

She grabbed his shoulders and lifted herself up until her lips pressed into his own.

For a moment Ruby thought she had done it wrong because she had nearly slammed her lips into his. She worried that it might not so much be a kiss as a thumb war with lips before she settled. It was definitely a kiss, because she felt an indescribable feeling of warmth fill her body starting from where they were connected. Naruto had been surprised and stilled while they shared the experience, but after a moment he relaxed and closed his eyes.

Ruby's heart was beating so fast she worried that he might have felt it. She was so glad she had done this while they were sitting, because otherwise she would have had to get up on her toes in order to kiss him, and then he would have had to choose to lean down or just stare at her. But now they were connected, and all she had to worry about was everything else in the world.

One round of fireworks finally ended as Ruby slowly pulled back from the kiss. She felt her face burn so intensely she could barely handle it. Remembering that he could see in the dark and see her blush anyway only did more to exasperate her embarrassment. After a moment she finally steeled her will and looked up at his shocked expression and wordless mumbling.

The fireworks continued to explode around them and drown out all sound. They couldn't talk. They couldn't say anything to each other. Not while the fireworks were going off.

So instead Ruby leaned over and rested her head into his chest. The sound of his rising heartbeat did little to comfort her, but right now she just wanted to close her eyes and not focus. After a moment she felt his arm awkwardly circle around her shoulder and back to hold her close. It wasn't so much a hug of acceptance or excitement as a gesture that he was still here holding her despite what just happened.

They stayed like that for several more minutes until the last firework flew up and filled the sky with its brilliance. The explosions faded away and the people watching clapped before returning to their enjoyment. All except the two Hunters who were simply waiting in silence.

"..."

"..."

"I think I like you."

"Y-Yeah, I gathered."

She should have just waited for the fireworks to end.

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

 _ **Done**_

 _ **ReadxReview**_

 _ **Thank You and Bye**_


	17. Your Final Fantasy

Hunted or Busted: A Side Story

Dusted 17: Your Final Fantasy

Cards on the table all I know about this game is glances on a wiki, pop culture osmosis, and TFS' Machinabridged version. You'd think with such a lack of knowledge I shouldn't be basing a chapter around it, and yet the hype was so great it demanded my attention.

Also I know this is a bit of a tonal shift after the last chapter of the main story but...fuck it.

On with the show!

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

"I wanted to take the time and tell all of you that classes will be canceled for the next week." Glynda announced to the sound of uproarious cheers and applause from the student body, "The faculty have some matters they need to attended to urgently and it requires our full attention. There will still be assignments and homework for you to complete during the break so you do not forget the material we covered, but as far as attendance then know that you won't be expected back in class until next Monday. That is all."

A hand went up in the crowd.

"Yes?"

"Is this just another excuse so you can buy the new game and play-"

"Dismissed! You're all dismissed!"

"We're getting another week!" Nora clapped as she walked with her friends out of the amphitheater, "Man I love this! It's pretty much a monthly thing now with the new releases!"

"It's frankly appalling." Weiss complained, "How are we supposed to learn anything if every other week our classes get suspended for who knows how long? Frankly I'm shocked our teachers haven't been reported."

"Says the girl that was happy to get some time off and cosplay as a Heartless."

"Shut up."

"Well, we'll see you guys later."

"Bye."

"See ya!"

The members of the Dirty Dozen stepped back and went their separate ways completely. Only Weiss was left to stand alone as she looked around before pondering, "How many of them are going to freak out this time?"

"…"

"Most of them probably, and I bet pretty badly at that too."

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

She picked up her staff.

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

He picked up his cosplay arm.

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

They all buttoned up their suits.

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

She went to grab her clothes.

…

She looked in a different drawer instead.

…

Different pieces of clothing and underwear flew through the air as she frantically threw everything aside in an attempt to find her clothes. After ten minutes she threw her hands up, "Where the hell are my clothes?!"

It was with that angry exclamation that she looked over at her bed and noticed a pile of clothing carefully stacked by her pillow. She reached out for it and pulled them out…

"Oh you have got to be fucking kidding me."

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

"We have to act fast. And we have to be ruthless in our acquisition of what we desire." The shadowy figure said at his magnificent desk and matching chair, "We failed in our last efforts, but we shall make sure not to fail in this one. It is far too important for anything other than complete and total success!"

"Brilliant sir!"

"I expect nothing less of our leader!"

"But sir, your plan is risky!" A lone voice betrayed the maniacal laughter in the room, "If we go through with this then thousands of people will be denied their rightful property!"

"If you have a problem with our plan then you can speak up and tell others. Just know that it you do so, you will be denied a copy."

"..."

"That's what I thought. Any other questions before we begin?"

"Yes, I have one." Glynda spoke, "Are we seriously doing this again?"

The men gathered looked at her in confusion before their leader asked, "Glynda, didn't you want a copy of the new game?"

"Of course I do! But why are we dressed like the evil organization again?!"

"We're not even wearing the black coats!"

"Not The Organization you imbecile, I mean why are we acting like the evil group in the game again!" She pointed around, "Peter! Bartholomew! You two are acting exactly like the foolish, incompetent members of Shinra's head board that no body likes!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Peter yelled in his large green overcoat, "Do you know what she's talking about, Bart?"

"I wanna go to space!"

"Exactly."

She rolled her eyes, "And Minato, I know you can demand something firmer than that! Why are you acting like the sniveling token good member of the group that is going to help the heroes from the shadows but not do anything to stop the evil group's plan right here!"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Minato deflected while hiding the radio behind his back.

"And sir," She shook her head disappointingly at Ozpin, "You're acting like the evil, despicable bastard in charge of the whole thing!"

"Well it was either that or the creepy scientist bastard who most likely pleasures himself to all the terrible experiments he created." Ozpin shrugged, "I decided to stick with this while Professor Peach took up Hojo."

"And where is she exactly?"

"Probably watching us from a video feed with masturbatory aides at the ready." Glynda shuddered in fright as Ozpin continued, "I considered getting someone to take up the Rufus Shinra role but...well there was honestly only one person that fit the bill."

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

"Huh? Neo, you ever get the feeling people are talking about you?"

Neo shook her head.

"Right, you'd only get that feeling if you didn't kill everyone who talked about you behind your back."

Neo tapped her nose knowingly.

"Okay, anyway about tonight. While everyone is out buying the new game, we'll be invading houses and looting everything they own! Quick as the wind! Hahahahaha!"

The silent girl gave a pout and crossed her arms.

"What? Are you still pissed you didn't get a copy? I told you to preorder that shit!"

She threw her hands up in the air.

"What do you mean you didn't expect it to be this bad?! It's one of the most anticipated games of the year!"

She stomped her foot and pointed at him.

"You thought I'd steal a copy for you?"

She nodded.

"Neo, if we don't pay for the game and support the creators they'll never get around to creating more things we want! I'm all for stealing people's livelihoods and their money and everything else they value but I draw the line at pirating entertainment! I did that before and that's why I never got another season of Firefly!"

She rolled her eyes.

"Yes I am bringing that up again young lady! I'll instill the lessons of the browncoats until they're engraved in your goddamn head!"

She frowned and crossed her arms like a petulant child.

"Ugh, fine. We'll catch someone while we're out pillaging and see if we can snag their copy."

She didn't look entirely pleased.

"And you can break their kneecaps if you want."

She brightened up like the sun.

"You know I spoil you right?"

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

"And finally why do I have to be Scarlet?" The diligent professor complained, "It can't just be because I'm blonde! And why do I have to resort to wearing this outfit exactly?" Glynda motioned down to her dress, a red satin attire that hugged every curve and nook of her body, with a long slit down her legs and a cut on the front so deep it revealed her black brassiere and stomach as well, "I mean what was the point of me wearing this?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

All of them failed to answer her as they just stared hungrily. Her eye twitched, "Look away or I will send you flying."

All of the men quickly diverted their eyes and Ozpin coughed into his hand, "Glynda, we must commit if we want to get what we want!"

"But why are we the bad guys?"

"We're not the bad guys! Do any of us look like one-winged angels with a giant compensating sword and the charming good looks of a boyband singer!"

Peter shrugged, "Well I think I could-"

"No!"

"Fine sir, then we're the ineffectual secondary villains that aren't even remembered that well when you mention the game!"

"We all have parts to play!"

"Oh I give up!"

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

Tenten and Weiss stared at the odd sight in front of them as they waited in the middle of a giant assortment of people in line to buy the new game. Weiss groaned and looked to her friend, "Were they getting ready for this in the room?"

"They were." Tenten nodded, "They were just so excited I couldn't talk them out of it. They played the original and now they're psyched for the remake."

"Well I suppose they're in good company. And surprisingly good cosplay as well."

"You know it!" Naruto exclaimed proudly as he stood in his short-sleeved shirt, baggy pants, and ridiculously large sword strapped to his back, "How could I not show up as Cloud today? It was calling to me!"

"Where'd you get the giant sword?"

"I hit Yatsuhashi with the fluttery eyelashes and begged my dear upperclassmen to help me."

"So emotional manipulation?" Naruto innocently whistled to the side, "Spectacular. And what about Sasuke?"

"He's Zack of course!" Naruto turned to his best friend who was dressed almost exactly like him with a giant sword of his own except he still had the black hair, "I played the original with him a few years back and now he's a dedicated fan like I am! Right Sasuke?"

"I-"

"Hush," Naruto hissed, "You're not supposed to talk in this part of the game. You'll get your chance when they remake the prequel." The black-haired swordsman glared at him incredulously after he said that before Naruto meekly shrugged, "O-Okay, maybe you'll get a level in the new game?"

"And where did you get his sword?"

"Got it from Sage."

"Sage lent you his sword?"

"You say lent, I say graciously borrow with full intention to return in almost mint condition."

"Naruto, you stole his sword?!"

Weiss sighed, "Sometimes you expect them to have moved past their lives of crime and stealing, and then they go and do stuff like this." She looked to the side, "And you?"

"I am the passionate leader of the team! The strength at its core! The man with the gun! B-B-B-Barrett Wallace!" Kiba announced with a roar as he showed off the large gun barrel attached to his arm, "And of course I'm joined by my talking dog best friend, Red XIII!"

"Woof!"

"That's right buddy!"

"You monster!" Weiss cried out indignantly as she dropped down and cuddled Akamaru, "How could you force him to join you in your little roleplay!"

"I mean he was happy to come join us."

"And you dyed his fur red too!"

"No it just turns like that when he uses his Semblance."

"It's cruel!" Weiss consoled the happy beast by petting him behind the ears, "It's okay baby, Weiss is here to love you."

The others watched in silence as the proud Schnee heiress continued to indulge herself in Akamaru's fluffy fur. And of course the massive dog was more than happy to receive that love with a rolled out tongue and swinging tail.

The strange sight earned a lot of attention from the people around them. Some of them were looking at the very convincing, very accurate cosplay the three boys were wearing. But most of them were looking at the shockingly large dog that looked so similar to the dog/cat-whatever companion from the game. They idly wondered if they could go over and pet it.

They decided against it when the dog started walking around and easily dragging the white-clad girl around his neck. Once they saw the abnormally large abnormally strong dog move around so easily with a person around its neck, they decided not to risk it.

Tenten scratched her head, "Was Red's relation with Barrett that friendly? I don't think they were actually best friends."

"Oh fuck that, he's my talking dog best friend and that's that."

Tenten shrugged and grabbed Weiss' shoulders, lifting the short heiress up and off of Akamaru despite her quiet protests. She set Weiss back down before looking at her teammates, "So what's your plan for getting to the front and grabbing a game?"

"Well, Sasuke and I have these big ass swords on our backs." Naruto grabbed the hilt of the borrowed weapon, "So...we do what comes naturally."

"You're going to assault civilians again like last time?" Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose, "I don't know what I expected."

"Hey, over there!"

"It's such a good cosplay!"

"We have to take a picture!"

They looked over as a group of fans came rushing towards them. Naruto smirked, "Please people, one at a time. We'll be happy to take some pictures in exchange for changing spots-"

"Out of the way!" They barreled through them and kept running, "We can't miss the Tifa cosplay!"

"Tifa!" Sasuke and Kiba immediately had to step back as Naruto charged past them, "I gotta see this! Where is it?! Show me! SHOW ME!"

"Damn," Kiba stumbled back and watched his partner run off, "What's got him so excited?"

Weiss rolled her eyes, "He's a boy who played the original game. I'll go out on a limb and say that he has a thing for her."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense - where's Tenten?"

"Copy and paste."

"Oh." Kiba went to follow as Weiss, Sasuke, and Akamaru did the same. They spotted a large group gathered around in a circle and making quite a commotion. Somewhere in the gathering of flashing camera lights they spotted blond hair and a large sword so they pushed their way over. When they did they found Naruto and Tenten staring ahead with mouths agape.

They quickly realized what was getting everyone's attention.

"Tifa! Tifa over here!"

"Look this way please!"

"Show us the Dolphin Blow! The Dolphin Blow!"

"Will you stop taking pictures!" The girl in the black skirt and black shorts underneath tired to shield herself from the cameras. However she couldn't do it enough to shield the red combat boots, the long black stockings, and white tank top that she wore. She frantically tried to escape the rapid fire camera shutters around her, "I didn't come here to cosplay! I-It's just a wardrobe malfunction! Stop taking pictures and-"

She ran to one end of the group that surrounded her and found herself face to face with Naruto and the others.

"..."

"..."

"Don't say a word."

"It looks really good on you."

"What did I just say?!"

"S-Sorry, just slipped out." Naruto coughed and tried not to stare at Blake's skimpy outfit, "So what was that about a wardrobe malfunction?"

"These were the only clothes I had left to wear! I looked around all over my room and couldn't find anything! I was sabotaged and forced to wear it!"

"If you didn't want to be seen wearing that then why did you come out today?"

"What was I supposed to do, not come out and get the game? Do you hear yourself right now?!" Blake frowned and huffed petulantly before she noticed Weiss staring at her, "O-Oh, hi Weiss."

"You know you deserve this for what you did." The others looked at the heiress before turning to the Faunus who shyly looked away with a guilty expression, "You're lucky she isn't here right now or else-"

"Guys! There you are!" Ruby came running over in a black suit while a hooded figure followed after her, "I knew you were gonna show up for the new game! And you dressed up again too! Awesome! What do you think of my cool threads?"

"Reno? Seriously?"

"Yeah, I just like how sassy and cool he is, plus with an electric baton-"

"Speedy little redhead who looks like a girl." Naruto's apt description shut Ruby up and made her pout angrily at him instead, "Hey you gotta stop setting it up to be so easy. Pick a giant man or a slow bruiser to cosplay as and I won't say a thing."

"You're just the blond main character with the big sword! Again!"

"Yes, and I'm a shallow bitch. I won't deny these things." Ruby fumed in annoyance before he looked at the person beside her, "And who is that supposed to be?"

"It's me." Yang answered, "And I'm just one of those cloaked guys who is looking forward to the reunion."

Everyone besides Ruby, Weiss, and Blake looked surprised by her choice in attire. Yang was usually the most explosive, exciting person in the room. The fact she would chose such one-dimensional prop characters to dress as just didn't make sense to them. Kiba looked doubtful, "Seriously? The cloaked guys?"

"Yep, because they're so mysterious and creepy and junk. I mean the story was so greatly impacted by their-"

Ruby's hand blurred aside and yanked the cloak off her sister's form.

When she did she revealed that Yang was wearing the same cosplay as Blake. The blonde blushed and covered herself as cameras flashed around her in rapid succession. As people called out for her attention and whistled her way, she glared a Blake, "I know you threw away my clothes!"

"You threw my clothes out too! It was retribution!"

"You did it first!"

"No you!"

The two partners dressed in matching cosplay glared and snarled at each other. Unsurprisingly their intensity did wonders for getting the surrounding crowd excited.

Weiss scoffed, "Bunch of dogs."

Akamaru whined.

"Oh I'm sorry, that was insulting wasn't it."

The yellow and black Tifas huffed and turned away from each other in anger. Yang grumbled, "You're lucky I'm focused on helping Ruby buy her game today or else there'd be hell to pay."

Tenten cooed, "Aww, that's sweet that you're helping your sister. But didn't you want to play the game too?"

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"She means that literally." Ruby informed her friends, "Yang's been banned from playing any Final Fantasy 7 games for the rest of her life."

"Um...why?"

"Because someone," Yang gestured to the outfit she wore, "Is a sore loser...with a sore neck." She added with a cheeky smirk, "Anyway the bitch got all uppity, made a rule that I can't play the new game, and now they have a no sale on sight for me."

"So now I have to buy her a copy." Ruby said, "So fair warning if we get close and it turns out there are only a few games left for sale, I will break most of your kneecaps to and from my way to the store."

...

Sasuke sighed, "We're way too violent when it comes to getting the games we want."

"Shut up Zack."

"W-What is this?!"

"No goddamn way!"

"This can't be happening! This can't be happening!"

As the crowd started to grow restless and cause a commotion, some of the waiting starts to yell and throw things in anger. The Beacon students grouped together and tried to protect themselves as Ruby pulled out her Scroll and found the breaking news.

 _("Lisa Lavender here, coming to you from the center of Vale once again! Screams of rage and terror fill the streets as all the copies and inventory for the hottest new game seem to have been bought out in bulk! There are no new copies to sell and fans are getting anxious! In fact there seems to be a fight between a raven-haired woman who flies and throws fire around and a scorpion Faunus who is just stabbing everyone in his path!")_

 _("Get out of my way now you deranged pet! I'm going to be the first to get my hands on a copy and that's final!")_

 _("My Queen says she wants to wake up tomorrow morning to the gentle theme of the opening screen, SO THAT IS WHAT I SHALL DO FOR HER! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-")_

The feed suddenly cut out as they dived at each other. Somewhere in the far distance they could see a plume of fire in the city followed by mad cackling.

"They don't have the game?!" Ruby cried out in panic, totally ignoring the collateral damage and fighting that started breaking out around them, "But I've waited so long! I won't wait anymore! I refuse!"

"Calm down you fool!" Weiss yelled and tried to cover herself from any incoming debris, "All the copies of the game couldn't have just suddenly disappeared! They have to be somewhere!"

"Someone bought all of Vale's copies, right? Well that's a lot of inventory to keep stored! So it has to be somewhere big!" Kiba rationalized, "So just think! Where could a large pile of merchandise be hidden without anyone noticing?"

"Lucky for you guys, we're here to save the day!"

Standing a few feet away and striking their dramatic poses was Team JNPR, dressed up for the occasion with cosplay of their own. Ren and Nora were matching as two members of the righteous freedom fighter group. Pyrrha had a staff in hand and looked remarkably like a sweet young lady with a particular love of flowers. And Jaune...

Jaune was dressed as Cloud.

Naruto and Jaune stood across from each other and stared at one another in complete silence.

The others decided to focus on the important matters at hand, "Ren! Nora! Pyrrha!" Ruby called out, "You guys came! What are you dressed as?"

"Ren and I are Biggs and Jessie!" The energetic ginger announced with her chest puffed out, "We've come to save the world and look absolutely fabulous while we do it!"

"We don't need the big names or recognition," Ren said proudly, "Our reward comes in the job we do."

"And I'm Aerith." Pyrrha twirled around to show off her cosplay while Yang and Sasuke kept hands on Tenten's shoulders so she didn't pass out, "I thought the costume they sold looked very authentic."

"But why did you choose to cosplay as Aerith?" Ruby asked the question they were all wondering.

Pyrrha shrugged, "I mean...it should be obvious why I am Aerith."

...

"Oh, that's dark. I'm sad now."

"Naruto, I demand you change!" Jaune declared as he stood across from his dear friend with a scowl on his face, "I've been looking forward to dressing up as Cloud for months!"

"So have I!" The fox Faunus barked back, "And I will not change! I actually went out of my way and found a huge sword to complete the look! You're just sticking your basic bitch sword on your back!"

"You probably stole that! This is at least my original weapon! You use a short sword! I use a real one! Plus I'm not alone!" Jaune pulled Pyrrha in close to his side as the champion blushed and seemed giddy with joy, "Pyrrha came with me dressed as Aerith so we could pull a Clerith ensemble!"

"Clerith! Pfft!" Naruto scoffed before holding his arms out at his side, "It's Clifa all the way!"

"..."

"..."

He looked back at Blake and Yang, "Are either and/or both of you going to come jump into my arms to prove my point?"

They just stared at him unflinchingly with raised eyebrows.

"Well alright then." He lowered his arms and coughed, "Anyway why don't you complete your team's cosplay? You should be Wedge!"

"I'll give you ten seconds to take that back!" Jaune roared in fury, causing some of his friends to flinch back in surprise at his intensity, "I will not be Wedge! There's no greater downgrade! Hey sorry you can't be the gold standard, here, have a hot turd dropped in your hands instead!"

Naruto growled, "You take that back! Wedge is a goddamn icon of the series! You'd be lucky to cosplay as him!"

"Then you be Wedge!"

"What did you just say to me?! I'll kill you for that you sonuva-"

"Alright enough!" Kiba and Ruby quickly got between them and held them back, "You can't seriously be fighting about this!"

"They're right boys. You're both pretty. Can we please get back on topic?" Yang jabbed jokingly.

But her words caused Naruto's ears to perk up with an idea before he grinned mischievously. Jaune wanted to be Cloud so bad?

He was more than happy to oblige.

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

"This is not what I had in mind!"

"Why are you complaining? This way we both get to be Cloud Strife."

"I'm not Cloud Strife! I'm his floozy slut persona!" Jaune grabbed the helm of the dress he had been forced into, "I did this once! I refuse to do it again!"

"I don't see why you're so angry. If either one of us was going to wear a dress then it should clearly be you." The others couldn't help but stifle their laughter as their tall blond friend blushed in embarrassment, "I mean you clearly have the better ass for it."

"AAAAAHHHHHHHH! SCREW IT! LET'S JUST GET THIS OVER WITH!"

The Dirty Dozen decided to stop teasing their friend and focused back on reclaiming their prize. Staring up at the looming structure that was Beacon tower, the team of young fighters prepared for the battle ahead. Naruto reached back for his sword, "So how are we getting in?"

"Well we could take the elevator straight to the top floor." Pyrrha suggested, "However if we do so we'll undoubtedly be met with serious opposition and battles. We should prepare ourselves-"

"Or we could take the stairs."

They all looked over in unison to see Ren pointing at a set of stairs off to the side that led up the tower.

Blake titled her head, "Were those always there?"

"No idea, but if we can make our way to the top going up it then we can't waste anymore time!"

"Let's go everybody!

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

 **7 stories up**

Ruby: "Good hustle everyone! Good hustle!"

Jaune: "We're almost there!"

 **16 stories up**

Pyrrha: "T-There's more steps than I expected."

Weiss: "Well it is a big tower. We should have *huff*huff* expect nothing else."

 **23 stories up**

Naruto: "Whoooo, what a workout! I can really feel it in my legs! Feel the burn! Feel the burn! Feel the burn! Feel the-"

Kiba: "SHUT UP NARUTO! SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

 **34 stories up**

Tenten: "Jaune fell! He toppled over!"

Yang: "Someone grab him! We have no time to go back!"

 **48 stories up**

Blake: "You know I hate to say it but these shorts and skirt make it really easy to move around."

Nora: "And they don't hurt to look at from back here while we're taking the stairway from hell!"

 **59 stories up**

Ren: "N-No more."

Sasuke: "I-I think my lungs are on fire."

The group of students finally reached the door and nearly collapsed into the stairs, greedily sucking in air and trying to recover from their exhausting crucible. Naruto dragged himself up the last stair and tried the door.

...

He walked back to the edge of the stairs and looked down at his friends.

Strong tears ran down his face, "It's locked."

...

They cried. They all cried.

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

One hour later after they were done dragging themselves back down the stairs and crying to their heart's content, the students took the elevator back up to the top floor and prepared for battle.

The instant the door opened, they slipped out with their weapons at the ready. Guns were cocked, fists were raised, swords were drawn, and Jaune had pulled his skirt up so it didn't get in the way of him moving.

"Everyone stay on guard." Weiss warned as they slowly stepped forward through the top level of the tower, "If our teachers are really behind the acquisition of all the game inventory, then we'll be forced to face them in battle. In that case we'll the thrusted into challenges that require strategic thinking, well-timed commands, and great control."

Blake paused, "Or maybe not."

"What are you talking about, Blake?" Tenten hissed, "We're gonna fight our teachers! These are some of the greatest, most well-trained Hunters in the whole world!"

"Yeah but they're impersonating Shinra," The cat Faunus casually stated, "So they're incompetence should match theirs, therefore-"

The doors ahead slid open and the students stuck to the wall in hopes of avoiding being spotted. As they hid, Oobleck and Port walked passed them, "Bart, I kid you not, he turns himself into a pickle. Funniest shit I've ever seen."

"Peter, can we go back to talking about space? I like space."

The two Huntsmen walked into the elevator and headed down, completely unaware of their students pressed against the wall and poorly hidden from their sight.

Yang sighed and shook her head, "Oh, that is just disappointing."

"But lucky for us. Come on, we're almost - oh shit."

Just a little ways ahead was Ozpin's office and one step closer to claiming their prize.

And between them and it was Minato Namikaze, armed with his weapons and ready for battle. The older blond looked at his young students sadly and shook his head, "Children, please, go back. I don't want to fight you."

"Mr. Minato, please don't do this!" Ruby pleaded, "We've waited so long to play this game! We can't be denied it like this!"

"I'm sorry, Ruby. I really am. But if Ozpin says this is for the best, then I will follow his orders."

"Dad," Naruto stepped forward and hefted his giant sword off his back, "We don't want to fight you but we will. We'll do anything to get a copy of our favorite game."

"I know what you mean, Naruto. Because...this was my favorite game too." Minato said with a forlorn smile as he reminisced about a beloved memory, "The original came out when I was around your age. I loved it so much that I played it over and over again. It was the first game your mother and I ever bonded over."

Naruto looked at his father in surprise before lowering his sword, "Really?"

"Yep. The first time we arrived in Midgar together was the first time I invited her to our room. We played mini-games over and over again at Gold Saucer. I had to hold her close and let her cry on my shoulder when Sephiroth did the unspeakable. We have memories together with that game that I won't ever forget."

Naruto felt his eyes water, "Dad-"

"And we did it for the first time under the Highwind as well."

...

Kiba couldn't stifle his snickering and laughed into his arm.

"Say what?"

"Oh man, I'll remember that time fondly." Minato smiled pleasantly with closed eyes, "And when she came out dressed in Aerith's Corneo outfit for the first time I swear I nearly broke a hip-"

"KILL HIM! KILL HIM! SOMEBODY KILL MY DAD PLEASE!"

"I got this!" Nora charged forward from the group and faced Minato directly. The older man raised his weapon and prepared for battle before she stopped a few feet away from him, "Mr. Minato, I have something you might want to hear!"

"And what is that?"

"This game isn't a remaster of the original but a remake! A remake made over two decades after the original! Two decades where a lot of stories, tropes, elements, themes, and storytelling changes have altered the way we ingest game narratives! So do you think it's possible that the people making this game...may take liberties with the story?!"

...

Ren palmed his face as the others sighed in disappointment.

"What?" Minato chuckled and lowered his guard before shaking his head, "Well that's just stupid. They're not gonna change anything." The older man just laughed and shrugged, "Why would they?"

"Well-"

"I-I mean what would they have to change? I-It's a perfect, complete story! There's nothing to add or change!"

"I just meant-"

"They wouldn't change anything!" Minato dropped his knives and grabbed his hair, "They can't! They can't change it! It doesn't make sense! They can't! THEY CAN'T! AH! AH! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH-"

Minato jumped through the window and fell through the air with his mad yelling following behind him before he teleported away.

The students watched the scenario unfold in silence before Nora turned with a bashful expression, "I - um - I just meant to distract him so I could throw a grenade and disorient him. Uh - sorry for breaking your dad."

Naruto shook his head, "It's fine."

"I really didn't know that would hurt him so badly."

"Seriously it's okay."

"I mean I figured he was a pretty diehard fan when he said it helped him sleep with your mom-"

"CAN WE JUST GET THE GAME?!"

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

Kicking the door in, the cosplaying students barged into the main office and aimed their weapons, "Ozpin, we've come for the games! Surrender them now and we - holy shit, Ms. Goodwitch!"

"Stop!" Glynda covered her chest from their desperate gaze, "Focus on the task at hand!" The red-clad teacher drew her riding crop and swatted it aside, knocking the weapons out of nearly everyone's hands except Naruto and Sasuke. She announced, "Children, it's time to surrender!"

"Not a chance!" Naruto drew his giant sword and started spinning it in his hand to mimic the classic animation, "Time to finally show everyone how I-"

The giant sword slipped from his fingers and flew out the window. Everyone watched as it fell and heard it whistle through the air before it pierced into flesh, "OH GOD! MY LEG! SOMEONE GET A PHOENIX DOWN!"

...

"Yatsu's gonna be so pissed at me."

Glynda raised her weapon up and prepared to subdue her students properly-

But a flash of black disarmed her of her weapon and held her at the end of another giant sword. Glynda looked across the massive blade at Sasuke's stern expression before she gulped, "When did you become so fast?"

"Squats. Each day, every day." When he got some questioning looks he shrugged, "I loved Crisis Core."

Naruto pumped his fist, "Way to go buddy! I expected nothing less of a first-class SOLDIER! But, uh, I'm the hero this time so I'm gonna need you to give me that sword." Sasuke looked back at him and motioned him over. When Naruto was within distance Sasuke's hand blurred out and smacked him across the cheek. A red handprint throbbed over his whiskers as he sighed, "Okay I deserve that."

"Professor Ozpin, we demand some answers! Why did you take all of the copies of the game before anyone could get one?"

"Because I've seen this before. Countless times." Ozpin stood out of his chair and sullenly looked out over the city, "People so excited for a game they believe will be to answer to all their problems. A hype train that could quite possibly derail and ruin everything. Expectations and reality crashing together and perverting a once beautiful world. If we allow things like this to happen without check, we're simply inviting the Grimm."

"But taking the game and denying everyone a chance to play it is just as bad! They're disappointed and sad!"

"That's alright. They won't be for much longer after I drop the Atlas Flagships out of the sky and onto the city."

...

A moment of complete silence was shared between everyone in the room.

Everyone present, Glynda included, looked at the headmaster like he was crazy and tilted their heads, "What?"

"People can't be sad and disappointed about not getting what they want if they're dead." He tapped his temple, "Super genius IQ level thinking there, right?"

"No. You sound like a child. A dumb, possibly psychopathic child. Even Shinra wasn't that dumb!"

"You sure? They drop two sections of the city on top of each other to kill at most 6 people. That sounds pretty much like what I'm doing."

"THAT'S NOT SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF!"

"Regardless, I'm sure this will all work out!" Ozpin pulled out a remote, "Now, time to wash the slate clean-"

His body was suddenly blasted out the window and sent flying over the city.

The students looked at Glynda as she sighed and lowered her riding crop, "I have a feeling I'm going to have to keep doing that to him with all of these little schemes."

"Why do you help him in the first place?"

"He gives me days off to play the games." She looked at her students, "I need as much time to myself away from you kids as possible."

"Are we really that bad?"

"Yes. Yes you are." Glynda used her Telekinesis and brought down thousands of copies of the new game they had hidden in the gears of the tower. The students cheer and squealed with glee as their teacher nodded her head, "I'll be returning these to the stores soon. So take your spoils and relish this victory."

"We did it!" The students celebrated, "We got the game-"

A loud explosion behind them drew their attention to the door as four new figures appeared, "We heard there was a little trouble here. But no worries...we're here to fight."

Coco walked in blue flight jacket, long spear in hand, and dressed like a gruff pilot with a heart of gold.

A giant hard light shuriken flew through the air before returning to Velvet's hand. She was dressed like a young, peppy ninja ready to help with the good fight.

Fox was dressed in a long red overcoat and red bandana, drawing his pistol out of its holster.

And Yatsuhashi had cat makeup over his face with the rest of his body dressed up to look like a big marshmallow like cat robot.

...

"Well?" Velvet stood up, "Where's the fight?" The others looked at them uncomfortably and failed to meet their eyes, "What is it?"

"You...you know the game only covers up to Midgar, right?"

"Midgar?!" Coco exclaimed, "What the fuck?! Then when do the rest of us come in?! When's the next game?!"

"Probably not for a while."

Velvet collapsed to her knees, "We spent so long on these outfits."

"It's not easy moving in these things." Yatsuhashi said hollowly, "It was hell making it up those stairs."

"Oh no, you took the stairs?"

"Yes we took the stairs!" Coco seethed and growled through her teeth before letting out one spiteful hiss. She marched over and snatched the game out of Naruto's hand, "We're taking this!"

"Hey-"

"Shut up!" She barked back, "Next time give us a little warning before we spend all day getting ready! Come on guys we're leaving!"

"We're not taking the stairs again, are we?"

"Suck it up Fox!"

"It's not easy taking all those steps when you can't see shit."

Velvet sniffled and wiped her eyes, "I just wanted to be a part of the fun with everyone else."

"Aww-"

"Don't patronize me!" The bunny Faunus yelled while running away and crying. It left everyone else standing their with a guilty expression.

...

They still grabbed their games anyway.

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

"And now comes the most difficult trial."

"We knew this was unavoidable, even when we made this alliance."

"Now we must decide..." Naruto stood across from Kiba, Sasuke, and Akamaru, "Who gets to play first?"

...

"WRAH!"

All three boys charged at each other and started to fight. A bloody, truly glorious battle for the fate of playing their new game first.

Tenten casually slid the disc in and started to play with a smile on her face. She didn't even mind as blood splattered over the screen.

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

"Go ahead Jaune," Pyrrha smiled, "You can play first. I know how long you've waited and how much you love this game."

"Are you sure Pyrrha?"

"Yep, I'll just be happy to watch you play."

"Cool. Um...can I change out of the dress please-"

"Nope." She pulled out her Scroll and started to film, "Get started Jaune."

"A-Are you recording-"

"Less talking. More playing."

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

"Me first!"

"Yang no fair!" Ruby banged her fists against her big sister's back as she laughed maniacally and sat down in front of the screen, "I wanted to go first!"

"Sorry little sister, you snooze you lose!" Yang chuckled and looked back at her teammates, "You two might wanna leave. Don't wanna get spoiled, do you?"

"God she's smug."

"The worst kind of winner."

"Ahaha-"

" _Hello Yang."_ The blonde and her team went silent when Tifa appeared on the screen, _"So I guess you got your hands on a copy after all. I expected nothing less from a tricky bitch like you. Luckily I had already planned ahead. Every system registered with your name won't be able to play the game and will instead only play this message. Hope it was worth the trouble."_

"Damn you Tifa!"

Weiss shook her head, "She put this on every copy of the disc but only has it play for Yang? How vindictive is this woman?"

"It's almost admirable." Blake said, "Almost."

" _But I don't wanna leave you totally hanging, so instead you get this instead. Enjoy."_ Tifa stepped back from the camera and walked over to Cloud as he sat on the bed, _"You ready?"_

" _Uh, sure. Hey, you're gonna delete this after we're done right?"_

" _Yeah totally whatever."_ Tifa pulled off her top and helped Cloud with his, _"Now let's get started."_

Team RWBY watched with wide eyes as the scene in front of them played out. Ruby blushed and covered part of her vision. Weiss sputtered and immediately looked away. Yang growled and cursed her former foe for her trickery.

Blake made a recording and prepared to sell this to everyone.

" _Tifa, why do you keep saying 'suck it Yang' when I-"_

" _Stop talking!"_

 **((((((((Hunted))))))))**

 _ **Done**_

 _ **Hey, Tifa and Yang strike me as the kind of rivals that just keep trying to one-up each other.**_

 _ **I hope you all enjoy the new game! This is gonna be a stable series for any big games getting hyped for release. Because I'm just that unoriginal!**_

 _ **ReadxReview**_

 _ **Thank You and Bye**_


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